Kunming Changshui Airport, Kunming Airport

Written by Ruru Zhou Updated Sep. 1, 2021

Kunming Changshui Airport is now considered as one of the air transportation hubs of China that link it with other countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia. Due to its design and the fact that it is the only national gateway in western China, it is now considered one of the top 100 airports in the world. It is also the fourth largest national gateway airport next to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

Facts About Kunming Changshui Airport

Chinese name: 昆明长水国际机场机场
Address: Changshui Village, Guangdu District, in the northeastern Kunming City
Chinese address: 昆明市官渡区长水村
IATA Code: KMG
ICAO: ZPPP
Telephone no.: 0871-7116114/0871-7114277
Flight inquiry hotline: 0871-96566

Flights and Terminals

The Kunming Changshui Airport is noted for its single building terminal, which is considered as the first in quality in Mainland China. As of now, these are the airline companies that have settled at the new airport’s single terminal:

China Eastern Yunnan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Kunming Airlines, Lucky Air, Sichuan Airlines Yunnan Branch, Spring Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, China West Air, Thai Airways International, Lao Airlines, Korean Air, Dragon Air, Juneyao Airlines, Yingan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Uni Air, Vietnam Airlines

Book your flight tickets from/to Kunming.

The Kunming Changshui Airport is located in the northeastern part of Kunming City. It is about 24.5 kilometers from downtown Kunming. It has two parallel runways and can handle even an Airbus A380.

The airport will replace the Kunming Wujiaba International Airport, which will be used only for military purposes in the future.

Transportation to/from the Airport

Subway

To facilitate transport going to the airport, the construction of the airport was accompanied by the construction of Subway Line 6, which passengers can use to go to the airport. The subway was put to use on the same day as the airport. The Subway Line 6 runs from 9:00 to 18:00 every day, with a time interval of about 25 minutes. To get to the airport via the subway, it will take you about 33 minutes, with a fare ticket of 5 yuan.

Airport Shuttle Bus

The airport shuttle bus is being operated by Yunnan Airport Vehicle Transport Service Co. Ltd. It is affiliated with Yunnan Airport Group Co. Ltd. The buses link the Kunming Changshui Airport to all major districts in Kunming, making it easy for passengers departing or arriving from the airport to travel around the area.

To get to the Kunming Changshui Airport, passengers can take:

Bus Line	Routes	Stops
Line 1	Changshui Airport – Xiyi Hotel (formerly known as Nanjiang Hotel)	Changshui Airport → East Bus Station → Xinyin Residence the Community → Kunming Xiongye Hotel → Yunnan University of Nationalities → Xiyi Hotel (formerly known as Nanjiang Hotel) Xiyi Hotel → Xinyin Residence Community → Changshui Airport
Line 2	Changshui Airport – Wujiaba Airport (non-operational)	Changshui Airport → Telecom International Hotel → Kunming Railway Station → Wujiaba Airport Wujiaba Airport → Kunming Railway Station → Rosy Road Century Hotel → Changshui Airport
Line 3	Changshui Airport – North Urban District	Changshui Airport ↔ Kunming Expo Garden ↔ Beichen Fortune Center ↔ North Urban District of Kunming City (Linyu Road)

Tickets for the airport shuttle buses cost 25 yuan per ticket. The buses operate from 05:00 to 22:00 with 30-minute intervals between each bus for downtown to airport routes, and from 09:00 to 24:00 with 30-minute intervals for the airport to downtown routes. However, to facilitate transport during rush hours, the buses sometimes depart every 15 minutes.

Public Bus

Passengers can also take the public bus going to Kunming Changshui Airport. The public bus route that you can take will start at No. 903 East Bus Station and will follow this route:

• Intersection of Changhong Road
• Danbanqiao Town
• Dabanqiao Horticultural Farm
• Drug Rehabilitation Center
• Women Prison
• South Working Area of Changshuo International Airport
• Kunming Changshui International Airport

The public buses are less convenient than the shuttle buses but they are cheaper at 3 yuan per ticket.

Also, due to the fact that the new airport is larger than the Kunming Wujiaba Airport, passengers are advised to arrive at the airport earlier as the walking distance from the check-in counters to the boarding gates are longer.

Taxi

Passengers also have the option to take a taxi to get to downtown Kunming from the airport and vice versa. The flag down rate for taxis in Kunming during the daytime is CNY8 for the first 3 kilometers and CNY1.6 for every succeeding kilometer. If you arrive at the airport and wish to go downtown, you will also have to pay a highway toll on the way. It will cost you about CNY 10. This is usually added to your taxi fare. You should also expect charges to increase during the night and to be asked to pay a fuel surcharge.

Usually, the trip between downtown Kunming and the airport takes around 40-50 minutes. If there is heavy traffic, however, the trip will take longer and can cost about CNY 80 to 90. You can also take a taxi from the airport to the bus stations. Please refer to the following table for more details on the fare going to the different bus stations in the city.

East Bus Station	CNY 50
South Bus Station	CNY 70-80
North Bus Station	CNY 90

Road

The Kunming Changshui International Airport is easy to access since it is connected to Kunming city thanks to a new 13-kilometer toll highway and by the already existing Provincial Road S101. This makes it easy to drive to the airport, provided that there is no heavy traffic. To avoid any inconvenience, passengers are advised to go to the airport earlier.