Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Haikou Meilan International Airport (ZJHK/HAK) is the principal gateway to Hainan Province, lying south-east of Haikou city in Lingshan Town, Meilan District. Opened in 1999 to replace the old Dayingshan Airport, it has grown into the busiest airport on the island and a hub for Hainan Airlines and Tianjin Airlines, offering a single long, ILS-equipped runway suited to a wide range of traffic from light aircraft up to wide-body jets.
Haikou Meilan International Airport, known by its ICAO code ZJHK and IATA code HAK, serves Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province in south-central China. It opened on 25 May 1999, replacing the earlier Dayingshan Airport, and is operated by Hainan Meilan International Airport Company Limited. It is now the largest and busiest airport in Hainan and serves as a hub for Hainan Airlines and Tianjin Airlines, making it an interesting destination for simulator pilots wanting a taste of a major Chinese regional gateway.
The airport sits at Lingshan Town, Meilan District, Haikou, roughly 25 km (16 miles) south-east of the city centre, at coordinates 19.9333 N, 110.46 E and an elevation of 59 feet above mean sea level.
Meilan has one physical runway, 09/27, a hard-surfaced strip 11,783 feet (roughly 3,600 metres) long. It is lit for night operations and equipped with an ILS, supporting instrument approaches in both directions.
Pilots can expect to work Haikou Approach on 119.15 MHz, Haikou Departure on 126.625 MHz, Haikou Delivery (ATIS DCL) on 121.9 MHz, Ground on 121.65 MHz, and Haikou Tower on either 118.225 MHz or 118.55 MHz. The airport's automatic terminal information service broadcasts on 127.65 MHz. The single runway is served by an ILS, as noted above.
Haikou's need for a new airport arose after Hainan Province was established in 1988, since the existing Dayingshan Airport, located in the city centre, could not be expanded to meet growing demand. The State Council and Central Military Commission approved the Meilan Airport project in 1993, the State Planning Commission approved its budget in May 1996, and construction began that November. The airport passed national inspection in March 1999 and was formally opened on 25 May 1999 following approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Terminal 1 was subsequently expanded in 2002, 2003 and 2014, and an international terminal was added in 2013-2014. A second phase of development, launched in 2016, extended the airport northward with a new 3,600 by 60 metre runway suitable for the Airbus A380, a Category III ILS, and a much larger Terminal 2, which opened on 2 December 2021 with simultaneous departures to Beijing and Shenzhen; the international section of Terminal 2 opened in February 2023, replacing the earlier international terminal. In 2023 the Hainan provincial government announced plans for a third phase, including a further southern runway, a new Terminal 3 and renovation of existing terminal areas, with a feasibility tender issued in 2025.
Meilan today operates as a major domestic and international airport, with Terminal 1 handling remaining domestic services through 76 check-in counters and 28 jetbridge gates, and the larger Terminal 2 accommodating the bulk of current traffic. The airport functions as a hub for Hainan Airlines and Tianjin Airlines and remains Hainan's busiest airport by a wide margin, with continued expansion plans reflecting its role as the island's principal air gateway.
