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Explore the region
About Xining Caojiabao Airport
The expanded T3 terminal and its ground-transport centre changed the arrival layout in August 2025. China Eastern and Hainan Airlines formally moved their domestic services to T3, making older T2-only directions unreliable. For travellers, the useful sequence is terminal confirmation, baggage collection and the signed connection to the appropriate ground-transport area.
The area's first airport was at Lejiawan, 17 kilometres west of the present site, built in 1931 by military governor Ma Bufang and used by commercial airlines from 1933. In 1957 its runway was expanded to 2,600 metres and more facilities added; a commercial route then flew between Xining, Lanzhou, Baotou and Beijing, carrying fewer than 1,000 passengers a year, and the airport was shared with the military. In 1975 plans were made to relocate the airport because Lejiawan's gravel runway allowed only one-way use, and the State Council approved the Caojiabao site on 17 May 1985.
Construction of the Caojiabao airport began in 1989 and it opened in December 1991; the former Lejiawan site is now a military base. A first-phase expansion was completed in November 2005 and a second phase in July 2013, after which the airport had a 45-metre-wide runway, 13 boarding bridges and 29 aircraft stands, accommodating aircraft up to the Airbus A330. The phase-two terminal covers 42,000 square metres with an annual capacity of 8 million passengers.
The airport serves as Qinghai's provincial-capital airport and a regional hub airport for the Tibetan Plateau (青藏高原区域枢纽机场). It is currently served by seven airlines, including China Southern, Air China and China Eastern; as of November 2014 it operated more than 55 domestic routes to 43 destinations.
At the airport
- T3 and the ground-transport centre form the expanded arrival complex.
- Domestic airline transfer notices supersede older T2-only directions.
- City and intercity transfers require an onward journey from Haidong.
Background & history
Xining Caojiapu International Airport (IATA: XNN, ICAO: ZLXN) is an airport serving Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, China. It is located in Huzhu County, Haidong, on the Tibetan Plateau about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of downtown Xining. The airport began operation in 1991. In October 2011, a new 3,800-meter runway entered service. The older runway now serves as a taxiway. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, in 2025, Xining Caojiapu International Airport recorded 63,344 flight takeoffs and landings, and 7.88 million passenger movements, representing a year-on-year increases of 12.1% and 11.9% respectively.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: Xining Caojiapu International Airport · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.
Location & getting there
Getting to Xining Caojiabao Airport
Navigate to the terminal shown on your airline booking, using the domestic departures designation when appropriate. Arriving passengers should follow the current signs for the ground-transport centre and their chosen bus, taxi or booked pickup.
Plan your connection
Choose from these complementary stops when planning your visit.
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Booked terminal预订航站楼
Check your airline’s current terminal information.
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Arrivals and baggage到达与行李提取
Complete the arrival process before meeting a driver.
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Ground-transport centre综合交通中心
Follow the signs for the correct onward transport area.
Use the terminal on the current flight booking. Leave enough time for the road journey and check the actual bus stop or driver meeting point after baggage collection.
Find Xining Caojiabao Airport
西宁曹家堡国际机场 · 海东
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Dongguan Mosque 东关清真大寺
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View guide →Xining Nanshan Park 西宁南山公园
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View guide →Shuijingxiang Market Street 水井巷
26 km awayMarket lane in Xining's Chengzhong District with Xiangzhongjing, a 2024 retro hall selling Qinghai products and snacks under old Xining shop signs.
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
- China Eastern: Xining domestic services transfer to T3 ↗
- Hainan Airlines: Xining T3 transfer notice ↗
- Airport construction team: T3 and ground-transport centre layout ↗
- Xining Caojiapu International Airport — Wikipedia geographic and historical reference ↗
- Chinese Wikipedia: 西宁曹家堡国际机场 (revision 92191988, 2026-04-07) ↗
- English Wikipedia: Xining Caojiapu International Airport (revision 1373001884, 2026-09-03) ↗
Geographic and historical facts selectively adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Xining Caojiapu International Airport · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1373001884.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "西宁曹家堡国际机场", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92191988.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Xining Caojiapu International Airport", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1373001884.