Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport is the principal

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

serving

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the Nationa ...

, the capital of

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

province, China. The airport is located in Xinzheng, southeast of downtown Zhengzhou. It was opened on 28 August 1997, replacing its predecessor, the now-demolished Dongjiao Airport. The airport is the only

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

and serves as a main gateway for the province and the central plain area. The airport is operated by Henan Airport Group and is a hub for Cargolux, as well as a focus city for

China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines Company Limited is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and is the largest airline in China. Established on 1 July 1988 following the restructuring of the CAAC Airlines that acq ...

, Shenzhen Airlines, West Air, Lucky Air, and

Donghai Airlines Donghai Airlines is an airline headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, with its base at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. History The company was started in November 2002 as Jetwin Cargo Airline, with 2005 being the originally anticipated lau ...

. According to statistics of 2018, it is the 12th-busiest airport by passenger traffic in the People's Republic of China with 27,334,730 passengers, and the seventh busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic nationwide. As of 2018, the airport is the busiest airport in

central China Central China () is a geographical and a loosely defined cultural region that includes the provinces of Henan, Hubei and Hunan. Jiangxi is sometimes also regarded to be part of this region. Central China is now officially part of South Centr ...

in both passenger and cargo traffic. Its IATA code "CGO" is derived from Zhengzhou's former romanization ''Chengchow''.

History

Early development

The former international airport of

, known as

Zhengzhou Dongjiao Airport Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...

(), was built in 1956. However, the airport, which had a 2,400 meter long and 45 meter wide runway, capable of handling airliners as large as a Boeing 767, was too close to the city center, worsening the air and noise pollution, especially from jet-powered planes like the

Trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

and

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two ...

. Development of many buildings in the area worsened the dire situation, thus risking aircraft-related accidents. Hence, to meet the demand of city development, a plan to build a new airport in Xuedian Township, Xinzheng to replace the old Dongjiao Airport was approved in 1992. The new airport was originally named ''Zhengzhou Xuedian Airport'' () after the township of its location and was later changed to the current name. Construction began in 1993 and the new airport was opened on 28 August 1997 with a terminal of 45,900 square meters and a runway (Runway 12R/30L) of 3,400 m. The designed capacity of the terminal was 3.8 million passengers a year. All the flights of Dongjiao Airport were transferred to the new airport. Dongjiao Airport was later demolished to build the

Zhengdong New Area Zhengdong New Area () is a new area of Zhengzhou, Henan province, People's Republic of China. As of 2015, it covers an area of , and is expected to expand to . Zhengdong New Area was considered by foreign media to be a ghost city throughout its ...

CBD on its site. In 2000, the airport was approved by the

state council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative autho ...

to become the 21st international airport in China. From 2005 to 2007, the original terminal underwent a major expansion and renovation. The new terminal (current Terminal 1) has an area of 128,000 square meters and was opened on 29 December 2007. CGO original terminal.jpg, The original terminal in 2006 (now renovated into Terminal 1) CGOairport.JPG, Terminal 1 under renovation in 2007

Phase II expansion

In 2013, the

approved the expansion project of the airport, including a new terminal (Terminal 2), the second runway (Runway 12L/30R) and a ground traffic center (GTC), in alignment with its first airport-based economy zone (

Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone (), abbreviated as ZAEZ, is an airport-based economy zone developed around Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Henan, People's Republic of China. It is located about to the southeast of Zhengzhou, and cove ...

). The construction started in 2012, and was finished in 2015. Terminal 2 was opened on 19 December 2015 together with the GTC, and the second runway was opened on 7 January 2016, making the airport the first with two terminals and two runways in

Recent development

After Foxconn Zhengzhou (the main production base for iPhone, located just to the north of the airport) was put into operation in 2010, the cargo transport of the airport has been booming. Between 2010 and 2017, the cargo volume handled by the airport increased from 85,798.1 to 502,714.8 metric tonnes, growing by 34 percent yearly on average, making it the seventh busiest airport in China by cargo traffic. Long-haul and intercontinental passenger services from the airport also began to emerge in recent years. In late 2015 Emirates announced it would begin service from

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

to Zhengzhou via

Yinchuan Yinchuan (, ; ) is the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut-led Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 Chinese census, and its buil ...

from May 2016, as part of the airline's expansion plans in China. This is Zhengzhou's first connection to the Middle East."Emirates Expands Network in Mainland China"
(Press release). Dubai: Emirates Airline. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015. The service started from 3 May 2016
/ref> and stopped from November 2018. On 11 November 2016,

Sichuan Airlines Sichuan Airlines Co., Ltd. () is a Chinese airline based in Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and is the largest airline in western China, operating mainly scheduled domestic and international flights out ...

launched non-stop flights to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

. It is the first regular non-stop intercontinental passenger service for the airport. Non-stop flight service to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

was opened by

Jetstar Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd, operating as Jetstar, is an Australian low-cost airline (self-described as "value-based") headquartered in Melbourne. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by airline Virgi ...

on 6 December 2017. This is the first air route to Australia from the airport. The

airport rail link An airport rail link is a service providing passenger rail transport from an airport to a nearby city by mainline or commuter trains, rapid transit, people mover, or light rail. Direct links operate straight to the airport terminal, while o ...

services between Zhengzhou city center and the airport became available after the completion of the ground traffic center in 2015, including the Zhengzhou–Xinzheng Airport intercity railway, which started operations from 31 December 2015 and served as an express link, and Zhengzhou Metro Chengjiao line, which started operations from 12 January 2017. In 2017, the airport surpassed

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is an airport serving Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It was opened on 15 April 1995, replacing the old Hankou Wangjiadun Airport and Nanhu Airport as the major airport of Wuhan. The airport ...

and

Changsha Huanghua International Airport Changsha Huanghua International Airport is the airport serving Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, China, and the Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region comprising the nearby cities of Zhuzhou and Xiangtan. As of 2021, it was one of t ...

in terms of passenger traffic, making it the busiest airport in

in both passenger and cargo traffic.

Infrastructure

Terminal 1 (closed)

The current Terminal 1 was opened on 29 December 2007, after the expansion and renovation of the former terminal, which was opened in 1998. It covers an area of and has 14 gates with jet bridges. The roof of Terminal 1 is shaped like waves. After the opening of Terminal 2, it was closed as a future reserve and temporarily transformed into an exhibition hall. 郑州机场侯机楼 - panoramio (1).jpg, Terminal 1 in 2013 CGO T1 INTERIOR.jpg, Departure hall of Terminal 1 in 2013 CGO 01.jpg, The closed Terminal 1 and the old air traffic control tower seen from Terminal 2

Terminal 2

Terminal 2, the only terminal building in operation at present, is located to the northeast of Terminal 1. It was opened on 19 December 2015 with an area of . Terminal 2 has an X-shaped layout with four piers seeing from above, which resembles and implies "opened arms to embrace the world". The northwest pier is for international flights and others are for domestic use. CGO 02.jpg, Entrance of Terminal 2 Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport Terminal 2 Departure Concourse.jpg, Departure hall of Terminal 2 CGO T2.jpg, Waiting and boarding area of Terminal 2 Gate 218 of Xinzheng Airport.jpg, A boarding gate at Terminal 2 Baggage Claim Area CGO T2.jpg, Baggage claim area of Terminal 2 Xinzheng Airport (CGO).jpg, Terminal 2 seen from the apron Waiting area of Xinzheng Airport

Ground traffic center

The ground traffic center (GTC) was opened together with Terminal 2. It is to the west of Terminal 2 and is connected to the arrival hall of Terminal 2 by three corridors. The GTC has been designed to become a transportation hub for traffic between the airport and cities in central plains region, with an intercity train station and a

metro station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the system in the ...

on the underground floors. Passengers can take taxis, intercity coaches, intercity trains and Zhengzhou Metro trains here.

Air-traffic control tower

The new air-traffic control tower was put into use on 7 January 2016, together with the second runway. The control tower is in height and its shape resembles the

Jiahu Jiahu () was the site of a Neolithic settlement based in the central plain of ancient China, near the Yellow River. It is located between the floodplains of the Ni River to the north, and the Sha River to the south, north of the modern city ...

Gudi (bone flute) discovered in

Runways

Aircrafts parking at T2 international concourse

The airport has two parallel runways: * The south runway ( long and wide, opened in 1997) * The north runway ( long and wide, opened in 2016) The north runway has a Category II Precision Approach. Normally, the north runway (12L/30R) is used for landing while the south runway (12R/30L) is used for taking-off.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Ground transportation

Highway

View of Xinzheng Airport from Yingbin Elevated Road

S1 Zhengzhou Airport Expressway The Zhengzhou Airport Expressway (), designated as S1 in Henan's expressway system, is in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. The expressway connects Zhengzhou city center to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport. History The expressway was initially a ...

G4 Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau Expressway The Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau Expressway (), designated as G4 and commonly referred to as the Jinggang'ao Expressway () is a -long expressway that connects the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, at the border ...

Both expressways are connected to the airport via Yingbin Elevated Road.

Rail

Airport rail link An airport rail link is a service providing passenger rail transport from an airport to a nearby city by mainline or commuter trains, rapid transit, people mover, or light rail. Direct links operate straight to the airport terminal, while o ...

is served by Zhengzhou–Xinzheng Airport intercity railway and Zhengzhou Metro Chengjiao line.

Intercity railway

The

Xinzheng Airport railway station Xinzheng Airport railway station () is an underground railway station on Zhengzhou–Xinzheng Airport Intercity Railway in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. The English name of the station is Xinzhengjichang ("jichang" is the pinyin of "机场", whic ...

is located in the GTC. The waiting hall and ticket offices are on the B2 floor and platforms are on the B3 floor. Intercity trains to

, Zhengzhou East,

Jiaozuo Jiaozuo ( ; postal: Tsiaotso) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Henan province, China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the south, Xinxiang to the east, Jiyuan to th ...

and Songchenglu (Kaifeng) are in operation.

Metro

Platform of Xinzheng International Airport Sta

Trains of the Chengjiao Line of the Zhengzhou Metro connects the airport to downtown Zhengzhou using through services via

Line 2 Line 2 or 2 Line may refer to: Public transport Americas *2 (New York City Subway service), a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway *2 Line (Sound Transit), a light rail line in Seattle, Washington *Line 2 Bloor–Dan ...

Bus

Shuttle bus

There are several airport shuttle bus routes to various destinations in Zhengzhou. The bus station is on the first floor of Terminal 2.

Inter-city coach

The airport also offers inter-city coach services to and from other cities in the central plain region, including

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the N ...

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and P ...

Xinxiang Xinxiang ( ; postal: Sinsiang) is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to its southwest, Kaifeng to its southeast, Hebi and Anyang to its north, Jiaozuo to its west, and the ...

, Nanyang,

Anyang Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively. It had ...

, Pingdingshan,

Shangqiu Shangqiu (), alternately romanized as Shangkiu, is a city in eastern Henan province, Central China. It borders Kaifeng to the northwest, Zhoukou to the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Anhui to the northeast and southeast respectiv ...

, Zhoukou,

Zhumadian Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province o ...

Heze Heze, formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China, it borders Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively. History Caozhou was at the cent ...

, Changzhi, and Jincheng. Unlike the Zhengzhou routes, inter-city coaches depart from the GTC.

City bus

There are several bus routes, operated by Zhengzhou Bus Communication Corporation, serving the airport and neighbouring areas in the

. * 611: towards Shizu Road bus terminal * 612: towards Yongzhou Road and Yuanling Road * 613: towards Hang'an 2 Street and Jichang 6 Road * 638: towards South gate of Zhengzhou Garden-Expo Park * Y636: night service, towards Lingkong Street and Taihu Road

Accidents and incidents

* On 4 February 2014,

Joy Air Joy Air () is a Chinese airline launched jointly by China Eastern Airlines and AVIC I on March 29, 2008 based at Xi'an. The airline started testing service in June 2009, and commenced passenger service at the end of 2009. On December 14, 2020, H ...

Flight 1533, a Xian MA60 carrying 7 crew members and 37 passengers from Taiyuan Wusu International Airport to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport had a mechanical failure on the landing gear while landing at Zhengzhou. The nose gear collapsed and the aircraft's nose cone hit the runway. No passengers or crew suffered any injuries. * On 5 February 2014, heavy snowfall forced the airport to close for several hours in the afternoon and evening, leaving roughly 2,000 passengers stranded in the airport on one of the busiest travel days of the annual

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

. Many grew frustrated by the lack of information provided by airport or airline staff, and began damaging check-in desks and flight information displays, with some assaulting staff as well. The riot and further snow forced the airport to close again on the next day. Police eventually came to the scene and restored order (See

Zhengzhou Airport riot The Zhengzhou Airport riot occurred on 5–6 February 2014. Passengers at the airport in Zhengzhou, capital of the Chinese province of Henan, angry over lengthy delays due to snowy weather, smashed computers at airline check-in counters and destro ...

). * On 15 April 2018, Air China Flight 1350, an

Airbus A321 The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short to medium range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin engine jet airliners; it carries 185 to 236 passengers. It has a stretched fuselage which was the first derivative of the ba ...

from

Beijing Capital International Airport Beijing Capital International Airport is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX). It is located northeast of Beijing's city center, in an exclave of Chaoyang District ...

was diverted to make an emergency landing at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport. It was reported that a flight attendant was held hostage by a male passenger with a pen. No one suffered any injuries in this incident.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Airports in Henan Transport in Zhengzhou Airports established in 1997 1997 establishments in China