Departure
95%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Nanjing Lukou International Airport (ZSNJ/NKG) is the principal international gateway for Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, lying in the Lukou area of Jiangning District some 35 km south of the city centre. It is a major East China hub with full ATC services, a single long instrument runway, and heavy scheduled and cargo traffic, making it a busy controlled-airspace destination for any simulated flight into the Yangtze River Delta.
Nanjing Lukou International Airport serves as the main civil airport for Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, and is one of the busier airports in the Yangtze River Delta region. It opened for service on 1 July 1997 and is operated by Eastern Airport Group. For a simulator pilot, it offers a large, well-equipped international field with a long ILS-equipped runway, heavy airline and cargo traffic, and full radar and tower control, making it a realistic and demanding destination for airliner or corporate operations in eastern China.
The airport lies in Lukou Town, within Jiangning District of Nanjing, roughly 35 km south of the city centre, connected to the urban area by expressway and metro links. As a major international airport it sits within controlled airspace with dedicated approach, tower and ground control, and pilots should expect to be worked by Nanjing Approach well before joining the local area.
Nanjing Lukou has a single physical runway, 06/24, oriented northeast-southwest. It is 11,787 feet long, has a hard surface, is lit, and is equipped with an ILS, allowing precision approaches in either direction. The runway's substantial length reflects the airport's role handling wide-body airline and freighter traffic.
Inbound and outbound traffic is worked by Nanjing Approach on 119.25 MHz. The airport broadcasts its ATIS on 126.25 MHz. Ground movements are coordinated on 121.7 MHz by Nanjing Ground, and the tower, Nanjing Tower, operates on 118.85 MHz. The field's single runway is equipped with an ILS, providing an instrument approach for both runway directions.
As a large controlled international airport, Nanjing Lukou is worked entirely under positive ATC control from approach through to the runway; there is no published informal joining or visual circuit procedure of the kind found at smaller aerodromes. Pilots should expect standard arrival routings and vectoring from Nanjing Approach followed by handover to Nanjing Tower for the final approach and landing.
Nanjing Lukou International Airport was built to replace the city's older Dajiaochang airport and entered service on 1 July 1997. Passenger numbers grew steadily through the 2000s, passing 10 million in 2009 and surpassing 15 million by 2013, well above the original terminal's designed capacity. In preparation for the 2014 Nanjing Summer Youth Olympics, the airport underwent a major expansion, including a new terminal, a new control tower, additional aircraft parking, and new cargo-handling facilities, with all flights relocated to the new terminal in July 2014. Subsequent phases of expansion and airspace optimisation allowed peak-hour flight volumes to be increased, supporting continued growth in both aircraft movements and passenger numbers through the mid-2010s. The airport also became a base for China Postal Airlines, which established a major express logistics centre nearby to handle national mail and cargo traffic.
Nanjing Lukou continues to operate as a major hub for East China, serving as a focus city for China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Juneyao Air, and as the main base for China Postal Airlines' cargo operations. The airport handles a substantial mix of domestic and international scheduled services alongside significant freight traffic, and it remains a busy, fully controlled environment with radar approach, tower and ground services throughout operating hours.
