Where Things Stand

Chengdu is doubling down on its aviation ambitions. At the end of August, the city government convened a major development conference for the Chengdu Eastern New Area and unveiled a three-year action plan (2026-2028) focused on strengthening its role as a gateway to the nation's west and south. The plan has two headline goals: kickstarting the second phase of the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport project, with a target groundbreaking in 2028, and aggressively expanding its international route network. The city aims to have more than 85 international and regional routes, handle over 58 million passenger trips, and move more than 480,000 tonnes of cargo annually through Tianfu by 2028. These moves are designed to cement Chengdu's status as China's third-largest aviation hub and enhance its function as a key international air gateway.

This isn't just a local initiative; it has clear backing from the national government. The State Council's 15th Five-Year Plan, released earlier this year, explicitly names the Chengdu-Chongqing region as one of China's four world-class airport clusters. It also lists the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport expansion among key hub airport renovation and expansion projects for cities including Shenyang, Changchun, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Zhengzhou, and Chengdu. This national-level support underscores the strategic importance of the project.

Why Expansion is Needed Now

Beyond strategic directives, there's a very practical driver: sheer demand. Since Chengdu Tianfu International Airport opened in 2021, it has made Chengdu only the third city in mainland China—after Shanghai and Beijing—to boast two large civilian airports, and just the second with two 4F-class facilities. Last year, the airport served 56.68 million passengers, ranking it fifth among mainland airports. However, this figure is perilously close to its designed capacity of 60 million passengers, meaning the airport is effectively maxed out. The number of flight takeoffs and landings is also straining the limits of its supporting infrastructure. This is precisely why the timing for a second phase is right; preliminary work, including planning and environmental assessments, has been underway since last year, with the project now cleared for a 2028 start. The long-term design capacity for the second phase is a staggering 120 million passengers annually—double the current capacity, which is akin to building a whole new airport.

A logical question arises: why not simply use the existing Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to handle the overflow? The answer lies in the distinct roles the two airports play. Tianfu is designated the primary hub, handling international trunk routes, transfers, and cargo. Shuangliu, on the other hand, is positioned as a regional hub focusing on high-end domestic business routes. Many of Shuangliu's international routes were transferred to Tianfu upon its opening, which explains Tianfu's explosive passenger growth—a more than tenfold increase in just five years. Crucially, Shuangliu is constrained; located in a built-up urban area with dense surrounding buildings and airspace limitations, it lacks room for another runway or meaningful expansion. It can improve the quality of its existing facilities but cannot accommodate the projected long-term growth in passenger volume. Therefore, building out Tianfu is the only viable path forward.

Is There Enough Demand for 170 Million?

The combined design capacity of the two airports, at 170 million passengers per year, raises another question: does such a huge demand exist? The answer lies in understanding Chengdu's catchment area. First, the local market is enormous. Sichuan province has a population of 83.18 million, ranking fifth nationally, and Chengdu itself is home to 21.5 million people. This provides a large, built-in base of potential passengers for business, leisure, and family travel. Second, and more importantly, Chengdu's airports serve far more than just the city or even the province. As a national-level international aviation hub and the gateway to Southwest China, Chengdu draws passengers from a vast surrounding region, including Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Shaanxi, and Gansu. As the region's most prominent comprehensive city, it naturally funnels a massive amount of interregional and international traffic. This is evident in the numbers: in 2025, Sichuan's airports collectively handled about 103 million passengers, with Chengdu's two airports contributing 90.2 million—nearly 90% of the provincial total. So, the logic is not that Sichuan needs 170 million passengers, but that to function as a true hub for the entire southwest, the airport system must have the capacity to serve that many in the future. It's a long-term strategy for decades of growth, not a prediction for the next few years. The real challenge for Chengdu isn't whether it can fill this capacity, but whether it can successfully solidify its role as the region's premier international gateway, attracting more connecting traffic and long-haul international routes.

Why is the Chongqing Project Stalled?

While Chengdu charges ahead, the planned second airport for Chongqing seems stuck. A site selection was officially approved in 2023, and initial hopes were for construction to begin during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. However, the recent 15th Five-Year Plan only mentions "advancing the preliminary work" for the new airport, a notable downgrade in momentum. The most likely reasons are twofold. On one hand, there's intense competition between Chengdu and Chongqing over aviation resources. On the other, the urgency may have diminished: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport recently completed a major expansion, adding a fourth runway and a new terminal, boosting its annual capacity to 80 million passengers. With the airport handling just over 50 million passengers last year, it now has roughly 30 million in spare capacity, significantly reducing the immediate pressure to build a new facility. This practical headroom likely explains why the second Chongqing airport has not yet broken ground.