Yichang Sanxia airport, Yichang Airport

The Yichang Sanxia Airport is an airport that serves the city of Yichang in the Hubei Province of China. It is a relatively smaller airport with 4 gates. The airport was completed and put into operation on the 28th of December in 1996. Its facilities can handle airplanes such as the B737, B757, B767, and A320. Due to its location, it is also sometimes called the Three Gorges Airport, and its construction was part of the Three Gorges Project.

The Yichang Sanxia Airport currently has a 2600-meter long and 45-meter wide runway, six parking bays, and a 14,816 square meter terminal building. The airport is key to the improvement and further developments in Yichang, as it opened up the city to other places in China and in the world. Yichang is currently undergoing further expansions and improvements in order to move up to world-class city status.

Fast Facts

• Chinese name: 宜昌三峡机场
• IATA code: YIH
• ICAO code: ZHYC
• Address: Xiaoting District, Yichang, Hubei, China
• Chinese address: 湖北省宜昌市猇亭区
• Telephone no.: 0717-6532114
• Website: www.sanxiaairport.com
• Booking hotlines (city centre): 0717-6230333 or 0717-6230222
• Booking hotlines (airport): 0717-6561222 or 0717-6532650

Terminals and Airlines

The Yichang Sanxia Airport originally began with 24 domestic routes when it opened in December of 1996. Now, it serves more flights from several major airlines in China. These airlines as well as the destinations they serve are presented in the table below:

There are also some international flights in Yichang Sanxia Airport. These, however, fly only to the main cities of nearby countries like Korea and Japan. Other international destinations are not available from the airport, which means passengers should take a flight to other major airports in China and take international flights from there.

Book your flight tickets from/to Yichang Sanxia.

Location and Distance

The Yichang Sanxia Airport is located in the Xiaoting District of Yichang City. This means it is about 26 kilometers away from the downtown area of Yichang. It is also about 55 kilometers away from the Three Gorges Dam site. This is a very convenient location for an airport as it places the airport near three important transport lines, the Yihuang Highway in the north, the Long River Golden Waterway in the south, and the Jiaozhi Railway in the east.

Transportation to and from the City

Airport Shuttle Bus

Passengers who need to go to the airport from the city center and vice versa can choose from several existing transportation options including airport shuttle buses and public city buses. Currently, there are six airport shuttle buses serving the airport. One of the buses is an imported Coaster bus, while two are luxurious Kinglong buses. The number is completed by three North Buses.

These airport shuttle buses run from the time of arrival of the first flight and continue on until the arrival of the last flight. The buses begin either at the airport or at the Qingjiang Hotel in Yichang. The trip takes 50 minutes to 1 hour as the distance the buses travel is around 40 kilometers. Each trip ticket costs CNY20.

To find out the time of the first flight departure, passengers are advised to retrieve the schedule from the front desk of the Qingjiang Hotel, where the buses wait. They can also call 13986802005. If you bought an air ticket at the Three Gorges Ticket Office on Hongxing Road of Yichang City, you can take the buses at the Qingjiang Hotel without buying a ticket there.

Along the way, the buses stop at bus stations and wharves to pick up passengers and for passengers who have onward destinations to alight.

Taxi

Due to the frequent stops, taking the shuttle bus is not advisable for those who are trying to reach the airport in a hurry. The best way to get to the airport when you are in a rush is to take a taxi. This will, however, cost you around 100 to 120 yuan. The trip will take 40 minutes tops.

The total fare, however, will differ depending on where you take the taxi. Thus, it is best to know the regular taxi fare rates so you can make your own estimate. From 6:00 in the morning to 23:00, the flag down rate for hailing a taxi is CNY5. This will cover the first 3 kilometers or 1.9 miles. After the first three kilometers, the rate will go down to CNY1.2 per kilometer or 0.6 miles. At night, or from 23:00 to 6:00 of the next day, the flag down rate rises to CNY6.4 for the first three kilometers whereas the succeeding kilometers will be charged CNY1.6 each.

Airport Transfers

For tourists who want to save themselves from the trouble of waiting for buses and hailing a cab, there are airport transfer services in Yichang that can take them to and from the airport easily and with less hassle. Make sure to arrange your ride prior to your flight to avoid any inconvenience. These transfers can be one-way or round-trip; rates will vary accordingly.

Train

The new East Railway Station in Yichang also facilitates rail transport for passengers going to Yichang and taking a flight from there. The rail service is also useful for Yichang airport passengers who wish to go to nearby cities. The scheduled trains that leave the East Railway Station daily run to and from the following cities:

• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Wuhan
• Xian
• Guangzhou
• Chengdu
• Chongqing
• Kunming
• Changsha
• Hangzhou

Book your train tickets from/to Yichang.

The train station is 10 kilometers from the city center in the Wujiagang area. The terminal building is three stories high and can handle up to 6000 passengers at once. To get to the train station from the airport or from other points of the city, passengers can take city buses nos. 1, 9, 68, and 37.

Long-Distance Bus

Long-distance buses can also take passengers from Yichang to other cities and municipalities nearby. The long-distance bus station is located at Xiling District and is accessible by bus route nos. 2, 3, 4, 8, 19, and 25-1.