Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport (ICAO: ZWWW) is a major international gateway in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, north-west China, serving as the principal hub for the region's capital city. For the simulator pilot it offers a single very long instrument runway at high elevation, set against the backdrop of the Tian Shan range, making it a demanding and visually striking destination on long-haul and regional routings across Central Asia.
Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport lies at Diwopu in the Xinshi district, serving Ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in north-west China. It operates as a hub for China Southern Airlines and as a focus city for Hainan Airlines, and functions as the principal aviation gateway to Xinjiang and onward routes into Central Asia. For a simulator pilot the field is notable for its high elevation, its very long single runway, and its remote, mountain-fringed setting, which combine to make approach and departure planning genuinely interesting.
The airport sits in the Diwopu township of Xinshi district, about 16 kilometres north-west of downtown Ürümqi, within Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It is a large, internationally served aerodrome operating under full air traffic control, with tower and ground services provided on discrete frequencies for all arriving and departing traffic.
The airfield has a single physical runway, 07/25, a hard-surfaced strip 11,780 feet in length. Both runway directions are lit and served by an ILS, reflecting the field's role as a major scheduled and international hub capable of handling wide-body traffic.
Pilots should expect an ATIS broadcast on 126.7 MHz, with ground movements handled on 121.65 MHz and tower on 118.1 MHz. The runway is equipped with an ILS, supporting instrument approaches in the often challenging weather and terrain conditions of the Ürümqi basin.
As a controlled international airport with full tower and ground services, all traffic operates under ATC clearance rather than any informal or self-announced joining procedure; no specific VFR circuit heights or joining instructions are published for visiting pilots.
The airport opened to foreign passengers in 1973 and has long served as an emergency diversion field for flights operating between Europe and West Asia, owing to its position deep in Central Asia. Its runway was expanded in the 1990s to accommodate large aircraft such as the Boeing 747. In March 2025 the airport was renamed from Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport to Ürümqi Tianshan International Airport, though the Diwopu name remains in widespread use. It is the only airport among China's five autonomous regions to hold 4F classification, reflecting its capacity to handle the largest category of civil aircraft.
The airport remains a major scheduled hub, serving as a base for China Southern Airlines and Urumqi Air and as a focus city for Hainan Airlines, with international connections to destinations such as Istanbul, Dubai and Moscow. It handles substantial passenger and cargo volumes, and its apron area can accommodate more than thirty aircraft at a time. Given its scale and status as a controlled international aerodrome, prior permission and coordination are required for any visiting flight.
