Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport (IATA: LHW, ICAO: ZLLL) is an airport serving Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, China. It is located 67 kilometres (42 mi) north of downtown Lanzhou. It was opened in 1970 and serves as a major air hub for the province of Gansu and western China. There are eight gates served by aerobridges in the terminal. A new larger (61,000 m² ) Terminal 2 is located to the South, adjacent to the existing terminal. The new terminal adds nine aerobridges.
Lanzhou Airport is a focus city for Hainan Airlines. Passenger traffic at Lanzhou Airport in 2014 was 6.58 million, with 10 million passengers per year projected for 2020.
History
China’s Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport opens 'face boarding' - Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport officially started using face recognition in northwest China's Lanzhou City on Saturday. There is no need to carry a ...
- In 1968 construction was started on Lanzhou airport.
- July 26, 1970, Lanzhou airport maiden flight successful with the first aircraft landing. It was an Ilyushin Il-14.
- June 15, 1997, Lanzhou airport expansion project was officially started construction.
- In 2006, the Gansu Airport Group and Hainan Airlines Group begin a strategic reorganization.
- October 21, 2010, Lanzhou airport passenger throughput exceeded 3 million people a year.
- December 27, 2010, the second phase expansion project started.
- June 26, 2011, Lanzhou Airport T2 officially started construction, after preliminary design approval and an investment budget of 1.488 billion yuan.
- November 18, 2013, Lanzhou airport passenger throughput exceeded 5 million passengers per annum, increasing the official Lanzhou airport ranking among the major airports within China.
- November 25, 2014, Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport Phase II expansion project feasibility study report approved by the State Development and Reform Commission.
- January 18, 2015, Lanzhou airport expansion project successfully completed acceptance and Terminal 2 opened.
- September 30, 2015, Opening of Lanzhouâ€"Zhongchuan Airport Intercity Railway between the airport and Lanzhou city area.
Terminal complex
While nominally two terminals, they are connected airside by a lengthy walkway and operate as a single building. Airlines operating from one terminal may use gates at the other.
Terminal 1
Shaped like the letter T, this terminal consisted of eight airbridges. The original terminal had a single airside level for arrivals and departures. Arrivals were segregated by a glass screen from departing passengers. Check-in was handled on the upper level, while the lower level housed the baggage hall.
With the opening of Terminal 2, this terminal's landside facilities have been shut down for refurbishment and parts of the terminal will be mothballed until future growth warrants the reopening of these facilities. Airside loungues, gates and shops remain in use.
Terminal 2
Designed and shaped to resemble the wing of flying geese, at 61,000m2, this terminal greatly increased the operational space at Lanzhou Airport. It added an extra two piers to the existing terminal. It houses 30 extra check-in desks, 12 passenger gates, 9 airbridges and separate levels for arriving and departing passengers. The new terminal was opened for travellers in February 2015.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Ground transportation connections
There are three Airport Express Shuttle Bus services available from the airport. All routes cost 30RMB.
Line 1 runs to the Lanzhou Eastern Hotel, Tianshui Middle Road, opposite Lanzhou University western gate. The return service leaves from opposite the JJ Sun Hotel (next to CAAC Ticket Office), Donggang West Road. Travel time is about one hour, due to the distant nature of airport from the city centre. This is the closest service to Lanzhou Railway Station.
Line 2 runs to Golden Lily Hotel, Xijin East Road, via Taohai Market, Anning West Road. This is the closest service to Lanzhou West Railway Station.
Line 3 runs to Qingshuiqiao in western Lanzhou.
Taxi service is relatively expensive due to the long distance to the airport, about 150RMB. Many taxis will be reluctant to use their meter and demand a flat 200RMB fare to downtown Lanzhou despite being illegal to do so. Overall there is little time travel advantage over using the Airport Express bus.
The Lanzhouâ€"Zhongchuan Airport Intercity Railway between the airport and the city started operation on 2015-09-30. It provides fast train services between the Zhongchuan Airport Railway Station and the new major transportation hub at Lanzhou West Railway Station then terminates at the older Lanzhou Railway Station. However, the initial operating schedule is not regular, with some trains departing from Lanzhou station and some others departing from Lanzhou West only. The whole 65 km journey takes 30â€"40 minutes pending on the stops and costs 18.5/22RMB for Second/First Class to Lanzhou West, 21.5/26RMB for Lanzhou. This intercity train service is viewed as a part of a larger Lanzhou railway hub reorganization project with future high speed rail connections extended to western Gansu cities, such as Wuwei and Zhangye.
Future development
The runway is to be expanded to 4,000m in length with the addition of 400m to the southern end. Six new parallel taxiways are under construction. New air traffic control buildings and cargo areas are being built, plus the relocation and upgrade of other ancillary services to handle the 2020 goal of 10 million passengers a year.
See also
- List of airports in China
References
External links
- Media related to Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport at Wikimedia Commons
