Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (ZLXY/XIY) is the principal gateway to Shaanxi province, sitting in the Weicheng district of Xianyang city some 25 kilometres northwest of central Xi'an. It is one of China's busiest hubs, home to China Eastern Airlines and a base for Hainan Airlines, Okay Airways and Tianjin Airlines, and its scale and layered airspace make it a demanding but rewarding destination for a simulator pilot flying heavy commercial types into northwest China.
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport serves the twin cities of Xi'an and Xianyang in Shaanxi province, in the heart of the Guanzhong plain. It is operated by the China West Airport Group and functions as a hub for China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Okay Airways and Tianjin Airlines, with Sichuan Airlines using it as a focus city and Air Chang'an based there. As one of the largest passenger airports in China and the largest in the northwest of the country, it offers a sim pilot the chance to fly long precision approaches into a sprawling multi-terminal, multi-runway complex amid heavy domestic and international traffic.
The airport lies within the administrative area of Xianyang city, about 25 kilometres northwest of Xi'an's city centre and roughly 13 kilometres northeast of the centre of Xianyang itself. As a major international hub it sits within its own controlled terminal airspace, with approach, departure, tower and ground control all provided on discrete frequencies.
The field has two parallel hard-surfaced runways, both lit and each equipped with an ILS. The longer runway, 05R/23L, is 12,448 feet long, while the second, 05L/23R, is 9,833 feet long. Field elevation is 1,555 feet.
ATC services are provided on Approach 119.6 MHz, Departure 128.65 MHz, Tower 124.3 MHz, Ground 121.8 MHz and Clearance Delivery 121.6 MHz, with an ATIS broadcast on 127.45 MHz. Both runways are served by ILS for instrument approaches.
Xi'an was originally served by Xi'an Xiguan Airport before the decision was taken by the State Council and the Central Military Commission in 1984 to build a large civil airport on the site of Xianyang's existing airfield. Construction of the first phase began in August 1987 and the airport opened on 1 September 1991, at which point Xiguan Airport closed. A second phase of development ran from August 2000 to September 2003. The airport was originally the hub of China Northwest Airlines until that carrier was merged into China Eastern Airlines in 2002, after which China Eastern continued to operate a hub there. Finnair's launch of a Helsinki service on 14 June 2013 was the airport's first intercontinental route, though it was later withdrawn following the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of Russian airspace. A third terminal and second runway opened on 3 May 2012, the new runway being long enough to handle the Airbus A380. A further major expansion, Terminal 5, began construction in July 2021 and was completed in September 2024, built in a Tang dynasty-inspired style and housing what is described as the world's first on-site airport museum displaying archaeological finds from Shaanxi. Two additional runways built alongside the new terminal became operational on 26 December 2024, and Terminal 5 formally opened to the public on 20 February 2025, taking on China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, China United Airlines and all international services.
The airport now comprises four terminals, T1, T2, T3 and T5, covering some 12 square kilometres and ranking among the largest passenger airports in China. Terminal 1 is used mainly by 9 Air and Spring Airlines, Terminal 2 handles domestic traffic, and Terminal 3 carries a mix of domestic and international flights alongside China Eastern, China Southern and Shanghai Airlines operations; Terminal 5, the newest and largest, has taken on China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines, China United Airlines and all international flights. In 2025 the airport handled over 48.5 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in northwest China and the eleventh busiest nationwide, with well over 330,000 aircraft movements recorded that year.
