Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport

The city of Shantou was formerly served by Shantou Waisha Airport, a dual-use military and civil airport. Construction of Jieyang Chaoshan Airport began on 16 June 2009 with a total investment of 3.8 billion yuan.^[4] In November 2011, the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection halted the construction of the airport due to unauthorized deviations from the approved environmental impact report. The airport authorities submitted a revised environmental impact report, which gained approval from the ministry.^[5] Jieyang Chaoshan Airport was opened on 15 December 2011, when all civil flights were transferred from the old Waisha Airport, which remains in use as a military air base.^[6] On 10 July 2014, the Chinese government officially gave the airport international status,^[7][8] after having operated international flights for a number of years already.

On December 5, 2019, Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport completed its runway extension project, increasing the runway length from the original 2,800 meters to 3,200 meters.^[9] With this upgrade, the airfield classification was raised from 4D to 4E, enabling the airport to accommodate wide‑body aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A330. This enhancement laid the foundation for launching direct long‑haul routes to Europe and North America.^[10]

As of December 2022, the terminal building covered 113,000 square meters, with 56 civil aviation stands. The runway was 3,200 meters long and 45 meters wide. The airport was designed to handle 14.5 million passengers annually, 90,000 tons of cargo and mail, and 100,000 aircraft movements.^[11]

In 2024, the airport recorded a total of 70,498 aircraft movements and 8.666 million passengers for the year, representing year‑on‑year increases of 16.2% and 20.7% respectively.^[12][13] During the 2024 Spring Festival travel period, daily passenger throughput exceeded 37,000, with 264 aircraft movements—both new historical highs.^[13]

For the 2024–2025 winter–spring flight season, Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport had 25 airlines in operation, with 1,862 weekly flights, serving 71 destinations and operating 81 routes.^[14]

Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport is the largest operating base for the domestically produced ARJ21 regional jet (now commonly known as C909).^[15] From January to August 2025, the C909 aircraft operated 18,494 flights at Jieyang Chaoshan Airport, accounting for 34% of total airport movements, with an annual growth rate of 48.5%.^[16][17]

The airport covers an area of 113,000 square metres (1,220,000 square feet) after the completion of a terminal expansion project in December 2022, doubling the airport terminal area through the additional of a second terminal wing.^[18] This upgrade allowed for the terminal design capacity to increase from 4.5 million to 14.5 million passengers annually.^[19] A previous airport expansion extended the length of the runway from 2,800 to 3,200 metres (9,200 to 10,500 ft) in order to upgrade it to a code 4E runway.

The passenger terminal has 26 jetways^[20] with 22 allocated to domestic flights, two allocated to international flights and two dual-use jetways.^[21]

A second check-in terminal is available outside Shantou Railway Station.^[22][23]

In 2025, Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport operated 77 domestic and international routes, reaching 67 destinations.^[24]

Passenger

More information Airlines, Destinations ...

Airlines	Destinations
AirAsia	Kuala Lumpur–International[25]
Air China	Beijing–Capital, Beijing–Daxing,[26] Chengdu–Tianfu, Hangzhou, Wuhan[27]
Air Travel	Changsha,[28] Kunming[28]
Beijing Capital Airlines	Haikou,[27] Hefei,[28] Lijiang,[29] Nanning,[29] Vientiane[28]
Chengdu Airlines	Chengdu–Shuangliu,[27] Chengdu–Tianfu, Dazhou,[30] Shaoguan[31]
China Eastern Airlines	Changzhou,[27] Chengdu–Tianfu,[27] Guilin,[29] Guiyang,[28] Hangzhou,[28] Harbin,[28] Hefei,[32] Huai'an,[27] Jinan,[33] Kunming, Lanzhou,[27] Lianyungang,[27] Nanjing,[29] Ningbo, Qingdao,[34] Shanghai–Hongqiao,[35] Shanghai–Pudong, Taiyuan, Wenzhou,[29] Wuhan,[35] Wuxi,[28] Xi'an, Yantai,[28] Zhanjiang, Zhengzhou[28]
China Southern Airlines	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi,[36] Beijing–Daxing,[37] Changchun,[38] Changsha, Changzhou,[39] Chengdu–Tianfu, Chongqing, Dalian,[29] Guangzhou, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Huai'an,[40] Jinan,[41] Kunming, Linyi, Nanjing, Nantong,[41] Nanyang,[40] Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai–Pudong, Taizhou, Tianjin,[38] Wuhan, Xi'an,[28] Xuzhou, Yancheng,[27] Yichang,[40] Yiwu, Zhengzhou, Zhoushan[29]
China United Airlines	Beijing–Daxing
Chongqing Airlines	Chongqing, Zhengzhou[28]
GX Airlines	Hengyang, Jinan[42]
Hainan Airlines	Changsha,[28] Haikou,[29] Hangzhou,[35] Taiyuan[28]
Lucky Air	Kunming[28]
Okay Airways	Changsha, Chongqing,[43] Yinchuan[43]
Qingdao Airlines	Changchun,[44] Qingdao,[27] Wenzhou,[45] Zhengzhou[44]
Ruili Airlines	Chengdu–Tianfu,[28] Kunming,[28] Mangshi,[28] Wuxi[28]
Scoot	Singapore[46][47]
Shandong Airlines	Changsha,[33] Jinan[33]
Shanghai Airlines	Changchun,[29] Kunming, Nanjing, Shanghai–Hongqiao,[29] Shanghai–Pudong,[35] Zhengzhou,[48] Zhoushan[41]
Sichuan Airlines	Chengdu–Shuangliu,[29] Chengdu–Tianfu, Chongqing, Harbin,[49] Jinan,[33] Ningbo[49]
Spring Airlines	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi,[50] Changchun,[51] Changsha, Changzhou,[35] Chengdu–Tianfu,[27] Dalian,[52] Haikou,[27] Hangzhou, Harbin, Hefei,[53] Lanzhou,[54] Nanjing, Ningbo,[29] Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shenyang,[29] Shijiazhuang,[55] Wuhan,[27] Wuxi,[28] Xi'an,[29] Yangzhou, Yinchuan,[29] Yining,[56] Zhanjiang
Tianjin Airlines	Haikou, Shiyan,[27] Tianjin,[27] Wuhan,[57] Xi'an,[27] Yulin (Shaanxi)[57]
Tibet Airlines	Lhasa,[28] Luzhou[28]
West Air	Chongqing

Close

The airport is served by the adjacent Jieyang Airport railway station. A station will also be constructed at the airport as part of the East Guangdong Intercity Railway with construction expected to be completed in 2027.^[58]

Jieyang Chaoshan Airport is among the 50 busiest passenger airports in China.

More information Year, Passenger movements ...

Year	Passenger movements	Change
2025[3]	10,228,556	18.9%
2024[3]	8,665,819	20.7%
2023[59]	7,182,236	102.3%
2022[60]	3,550,722	38.1%
2021[61]	5,734,175	8.5%
2020[62]	5,285,718	28.1%
2019[63]	7,353,521	13.2%
2018[64]	6,493,930	44.8%
2017	4,485,000	17.5%
2016[65]	3,818,000	19.2%
2015[66]	3,204,300[67]	11.6%
2014[68]	2,870,252	6.9%
2013[69][70][71]	2,686,007	27.7%
2012	2,103,303	10.6%

Close

On the evening of July 9, 2025, thunderstorms caused lightning damage to the runway at Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, forcing the airport to close while emergency repairs were carried out and inbound flights were diverted. After the repair work, the runway reopened later that night and flight operations gradually resumed.^[72]

• Shantou Waisha Airport
• List of airports in China