Is Chengdu Shuangliu Airport (CTU) the same as Chengdu Tianfu (TFU)?

No — Chengdu has two separate international airports 66 km apart. CTU (Shuangliu International, 双流国际机场, opened 1938) is the older airport just 16 km southwest of central Chengdu in Shuangliu district — close to the city. TFU (Tianfu International, 天府国际机场, opened June 2021) is the newer mega-airport 50 km southeast in Jianyang city. Since 2021 most international flights and long-haul domestic routes have migrated to TFU; CTU in 2026 handles primarily short-haul domestic, regional, and some business-traffic routes. The defining practical difference: CTU is much closer to the city (Line 10 metro reaches central Chengdu in under an hour and the Wuhou Temple area with no transfer at all), while TFU is farther but newer and handles the international traffic. Your boarding pass shows the three-letter code — CTU or TFU. They are NOT interchangeable; confirm before you travel.

Which CTU terminal will my flight use — T1 or T2?

CTU operates two terminals. T1 (the older terminal, on 机场迎宾大道) handles a mix of domestic carriers. T2 (the newer 2012 terminal, on 机场北二路) is the larger terminal and has historically handled Sichuan Airlines and Air China among others — though since the TFU migration the airline-to-terminal assignments at CTU have shifted and continue to change in 2026. The two terminals are connected by a free inter-terminal shuttle bus and by metro Line 10 (双流机场1航站楼 and 双流机场2航站楼 are separate stations one stop apart). For arrivals: confirm your terminal from the boarding pass; for the metro, both terminal stations are on the same Line 10, so transit logistics are similar from either. Allow 10-15 minutes if you need to move between T1 and T2.

What's the fastest way from CTU to central Chengdu?

Metro Line 10. CTU's two terminal stations (双流机场1航站楼, 双流机场2航站楼) sit directly under the terminals, and Line 10 runs into the city — its terminus is Wuhou Temple (武侯祠), so if your hotel is in the Wuhou Temple / Jinli area you ride Line 10 with NO transfer at all. For other neighborhoods you transfer at 太平园 (Taipingyuan, the main interchange — Line 3, Line 7) or ride Line 10 to 红牌楼 then Line 3. Per Amap path-routing 2026-05-22: CTU → Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li = ~49 minutes (Line 10 → 红牌楼 → Line 3 to 春熙路). CTU → Wuhou Temple = ~30 minutes (Line 10 direct, no transfer). CTU's big advantage over TFU is exactly this: at 16 km from the center it is genuinely close, and the metro times are roughly half of TFU's. Fare is ¥4-7 depending on distance; trains run ~6:20am to 11:00pm.

How do I transfer between CTU and TFU?

Metro Line 19, the line built to connect Chengdu's two airports. Per Amap 2026-05-22: CTU → TFU = ~63 minutes door-to-door (49 minutes Line 19 + walks at both ends). You board Line 19 at 双流机场2航站楼东 (Shuangliu Airport T2 East) station. This is the only rail-transit option between the two airports and the practical choice for self-connecting passengers with 4+ hour gaps. By taxi the two airports are 66 km apart, normally 70-90 minutes off-peak but routinely longer in Chengdu's rush hour; expect ¥220-300 metered. Critical: a CTU↔TFU connection is a passenger self-connection — your luggage does NOT auto-route between the airports. You collect bags at the arrival airport, travel to the departure airport, and re-check. International-to-domestic and domestic-to-international combinations need separate ticket bookings unless a single carrier codeshares across both fields.

Should I book a hotel near CTU or stay central?

Stay central, in almost every case. CTU is only 16 km from the city — Line 10 reaches central Chengdu in under an hour, and the Wuhou Temple area with no transfer at all in ~30 minutes. Because CTU is so close, the case for a dedicated airport hotel is weak: a central hotel in Wuhou Temple, Chunxi Road, or Tianfu Square gives you the full city experience AND a short metro ride to your flight. The one real exception: a genuinely early departure (flight before ~8am) where you'd need to leave a central hotel before Line 10 opens (~6:20am) — then a CTU airport-zone hotel with a terminal shuttle makes sense. CTU's airport-zone hotel cluster (along 西航港大道, the 民航巨龙酒店 crew hotel, plus 20+ smaller properties) is larger and cheaper than TFU's. There is also a sleep-pod hotel (眯一会睡眠舱) inside both CTU T1 and T2 for short layovers — useful for 4-8 hour connection gaps.

Where is the VAT tax refund counter at CTU?

CTU has departure-tax-refund counters (离境退税) at the international-departures area — the exact desk depends on which terminal your international flight uses, with Chinese + English signage from the customs hall. Note that with most international flights now migrated to TFU, fewer CTU departures qualify for the tax refund in 2026 (the refund applies to flights leaving mainland China — most remaining CTU traffic is domestic and does not). If you DO have an international departure from CTU: 'Tax Free' signage at point of sale is required, same-day purchases ≥¥500 per receipt qualify, the retailer completes the refund form, and you need the customs verification stamp BEFORE claiming the refund at the bank counter. Arrive 90 minutes earlier than normal check-in. See our China departure + tax refund guide for the full eligibility list.

Where is DiDi (网约车) pickup at CTU?

Each CTU terminal has a designated ride-hailing waiting zone (网约车候车区) at the arrivals level, signposted in Chinese and English. For foreigners: DiDi Rider (the international DiDi app) works with most foreign credit cards in 2026; Alipay's DiDi mini-program is the other reliable path (your Alipay payment flow settles the fare). Because CTU is only 16 km from the center, a taxi or DiDi to central Chengdu is genuinely cheap and quick — ¥50-90 metered to most central neighborhoods, 25-45 minutes off-peak. This is a meaningfully better taxi value than TFU (where the 50 km journey runs ¥160-260). For groups of 2-3, or arrivals after Line 10 closes (~11pm), a CTU taxi is often the best option overall. Editor first-hand: foreign Visa via Alipay booked DiDi rides in Chengdu in 2025-11.

Is CTU going to close now that TFU has opened?

As of 2026 there is no announced full closure of CTU. When Tianfu (TFU) opened in 2021, the plan was a phased redistribution of traffic rather than an immediate shutdown of Shuangliu — CTU continues to operate as Chengdu's second airport, focused on domestic and regional routes. Long-term planning discussions about CTU's future role (and proposals for eventual conversion or downsizing) have appeared in Chinese aviation media, but no firm closure date applies to a 2026 trip. For trip-planning purposes: treat CTU as a fully operational airport, confirm your three-letter code (CTU vs TFU) from your boarding pass, and don't assume a flight 'to Chengdu' uses one airport or the other — many carriers split operations between the two.

Chengdu Shuangliu Airport (CTU) Guide 2026: Metro, Transit

This guide is written by an editorial team based in Chongqing — the editor has lived in mainland China since 2018 (8 years on the ground) and reaches Chengdu primarily by the 1 h 20 min G-train to Chengdu East, not by flying. First-hand CTU familiarity covers multiple visits 2018-2024 (arrivals, departures, the Line 10 metro ride, tax-refund procedures before the TFU migration); first-hand TFU exposure is one 2024 domestic transit. Path-2 editorial-aggregated for the post-2021 CTU airside operational detail — airline-to- terminal assignments at CTU have shifted repeatedly since the TFU split, so current-state claims rely on aggregated 2024-2026 r/chengdu + official 双流机场 announcements + Trip.com listings + 2026-05-22 Amap (高德地图) routing for all transit times and POI distances below. Confirm your boarding-pass terminal and airport code 7-14 days before departure.

CTU vs TFU — which airport is mine?

Chengdu's two airports serve different roles in 2026, and confusing them is the most common foreign-visitor planning error. The single fact that matters most for trip planning: CTU is close, TFU is far.

	CTU (Shuangliu)	TFU (Tianfu)
Chinese name	成都双流国际机场	成都天府国际机场
Opened	1938 (T2 in 2012)	June 2021
Distance from center	~16 km southwest	~50 km southeast
Primary role 2026	Short-haul domestic + regional	International + long-haul domestic + Sichuan Airlines hub
Airport metro	Line 10 (+ Line 19, Line 30)	Line 18 + Line 19
To Chunxi Road	~49 min	~75 min
To Wuhou Temple	~30 min (Line 10 direct, no transfer)	~100 min
Taxi to center	¥50-90, 25-45 min	¥160-260, 60-100 min

The simple rule: if your flight is international or long-haul, it is almost certainly TFU; if it is a short-haul domestic hop (Chongqing, Kunming, Guiyang, Xi'an regional), it may be CTU. But the migration from CTU to TFU is ongoing and carrier-specific in 2026 — some airlines run split-airport schedules. Always confirm the three-letter code (CTU vs TFU) from your boarding pass or airline confirmation 7-14 days before departure. See our Chengdu Tianfu Airport (TFU) guide for the other airport.

T1 vs T2 — terminal layout

CTU operates two terminals. Both are active in 2026.

Terminal	Notes	Metro station
T1	Older terminal, on 机场迎宾大道; mixed domestic carriers	双流机场1航站楼 (Line 10)
T2	Larger 2012 terminal, on 机场北二路; has handled Sichuan Airlines + Air China among others	双流机场2航站楼 (Line 10) + 双流机场2航站楼东 (Line 19/30)

T1 and T2 are connected by a free inter-terminal shuttle bus and are one Line 10 stop apart. Airline-to-terminal assignments at CTU have shifted repeatedly since the TFU migration began — confirm your terminal from the boarding pass rather than from older blog posts. If you arrive at the wrong terminal, the inter-terminal shuttle takes ~10-15 minutes. The metro is convenient from either: T2 is the better-connected terminal (Line 10 for the city, Line 19 for the TFU transfer, Line 30 for the eastern suburbs).

Metro Line 10 — CTU's big advantage

CTU's defining strength over TFU is Line 10. The line runs directly under both CTU terminals and into Chengdu, and its city-side terminus is Wuhou Temple (武侯祠) — which means if your hotel is in the Wuhou Temple / Jinli neighborhood you ride from the airport to your hotel area with no transfer at all, ~30 minutes per Amap 2026-05-22.

For other neighborhoods, Line 10 connects to the rest of the network at two key interchanges:

红牌楼 (Hongpailou) — transfer to Line 3. This is the fast route to Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li (Line 10 → 红牌楼 → Line 3 to 春熙路, ~49 min total).
太平园 (Taipingyuan) — transfer to Line 3 and Line 7. Line 7 is the orbital ring — useful for reaching Chengdu East Railway Station (Line 10 → 太平园 → Line 7 to 成都东客站, ~59 min) and Chengdu South Station.

Line 10 fares are distance-based ¥4-7; trains run roughly 6:20am to 11:00pm. The CTU terminal stations have step-free access from the arrivals halls and bilingual signage. For most foreign visitors arriving at CTU, Line 10 is the default — it is cheap, predictable, and at 16 km from the city the journey is genuinely short.

Five paths to central Chengdu compared

Per Amap path-routing 2026-05-22, the practical CTU → central Chengdu options:

Option	Door-to-door	Cost	Best for
Line 10 direct (to Wuhou Temple terminus)	~30 min	¥4-6	Wuhou Temple / Jinli hotels — no transfer
Line 10 + Line 3 (transfer at 红牌楼)	~49 min	¥6-8	Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li hotels
Line 10 + Line 7 (transfer at 太平园)	~55-60 min	¥6-8	Chengdu East / Chengdu South stations, Gao Xin
Taxi / DiDi	25-45 min off-peak	¥50-90	Groups, heavy luggage, late arrivals — cheap because CTU is close
Airport shuttle bus	40-70 min	¥10-20	Specific bus-terminal destinations; check current routes on arrival

The headline: at CTU, a taxi is a genuinely good option — the 16 km journey to a central hotel is ¥50-90 and 25-45 minutes off-peak, cheap enough that for two or more travelers it often beats the metro on convenience without much cost penalty. This is the opposite of TFU, where the 50 km taxi runs ¥160-260. If you land at CTU with luggage and it's not rush hour, just take the taxi.

Time to each Chengdu neighborhood

Per Amap path-routing 2026-05-22 — fastest viable transit option per destination:

Destination	Time	Route
Wuhou Temple / Jinli	~30 min	Line 10 direct (terminus, no transfer)
Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li	~49 min	Line 10 → Line 3 (transfer at 红牌楼)
Tianfu Square	~50 min	Line 10 → Line 3 (transfer at 红牌楼)
Wide-Narrow Alley	~55 min	Line 10 → Line 3 / Line 4 (transfer)
Chengdu East Railway Station	~59 min	Line 10 → Line 7 (transfer at 太平园)
Gao Xin / Chengdu South Station	~50-55 min	Line 10 → Line 7 (transfer at 太平园)
Panda Base	~100 min	Line 10 + transfers (taxi recommended instead)
Tianfu Airport (TFU) for self-connection	~63 min	Line 19 direct from 双流机场2航站楼东

Add 15-25 min buffer for terminal walks and waiting for the next train. CTU's Wuhou Temple direct connection is the strongest single argument for the Wuhou Temple neighborhood if your flights both use CTU.

CTU ↔ Tianfu (TFU) inter-airport transfer

If your itinerary mixes the two Chengdu airports — for example an international arrival at TFU and a domestic onward flight from CTU — the connection is via metro Line 19. Per Amap 2026-05-22: CTU → TFU = ~63 minutes door-to-door (49 minutes in the Line 19 carriage + walks). You board Line 19 at the 双流机场2航站楼东 (Shuangliu Airport T2 East) station.

Taxi between the two airports is 66 km — normally 70-90 minutes off-peak, longer at rush hour, ¥220-300 metered. For gaps of 4+ hours Line 19 is cheaper and more time-predictable; for tighter connections involving rush hour a taxi reduces variance.

Critical reminder: a CTU↔TFU connection is a passenger self-connection, NOT an airline-handled transfer. Your checked luggage does not move between the airports automatically — you collect it at the arrival airport, exit, travel to the departure airport, and re-check at the new check-in. Build in at least 4-5 hours between a scheduled arrival at one airport and a departure from the other, more if either leg is international (immigration + customs add time).

Where to sleep at CTU

Because CTU is only 16 km from the center, the default advice is stay central, not at the airport — a hotel in Wuhou Temple, Chunxi Road, or Tianfu Square gives you the city experience plus a short metro or cheap-taxi ride to your flight. The CTU airport-zone hotel options exist mainly for genuinely early departures:

Sleep-pod hotel (眯一会睡眠舱) — capsule beds inside both CTU T1 and T2 (T1: near the Sichuan Airlines check-in mezzanine; T2: by the Q check-in island). Best for 4-8 hour layovers and very early departures, ¥80- 200 per block.
Airport-zone hotel cluster — CTU has a larger and cheaper airport-zone hotel supply than TFU. The 民航巨龙酒店 (Civil Aviation Julong Hotel) is the long-standing crew/transit hotel; along 西航港大道 there is a cluster of 20+ midrange Chinese-brand hotels (¥120-350) with terminal shuttles. Verify foreigner check-in on Trip.com before booking.
Stay in Wuhou Temple instead — for a CTU-only itinerary, a Wuhou Temple hotel is the smart base: Line 10 connects it to CTU with no transfer in ~30 minutes, and you get the Three Kingdoms + Jinli cultural neighborhood instead of an airport-zone business hotel.

Browse CTU airport-zone hotels on Trip.com → (verify foreigner check-in before booking; for most trips a central hotel is the better choice)

VAT refund (离境退税) at the airport

CTU has departure-tax-refund counters (离境退税) at the international-departures area of both T1 and T2 — locate them by the “Tax Free / 退税” bilingual signage from the international check-in islands. The customs verification (海关验证) counter is landside, before security and immigration (this is where you get the export stamp on the refund form); the bank refund counter is airside, after immigration, in the international-departures retail concourse. Order matters — customs stamp first, refund counter second.

One 2026 caveat unique to CTU: with most international flights migrated to TFU, fewer CTU departures qualify for the VAT refund — the refund applies only to flights leaving mainland China, and most remaining CTU traffic is domestic. If you do have an international departure from CTU, the process mirrors every other mainland airport:

At the Tax Free retailer, request the refund form (退税申请表) with your passport — purchases ≥¥500 per receipt per store per day, exported unused within 90 days.
At CTU, BEFORE check-in/security: get the customs verification stamp (海关验证) at the landside customs counter in your terminal's international-departures area — before checking hold luggage if the goods are checked, after security at the airside counter if carry-on.
After security + immigration, claim the refund (~9% net) at the tax-refund bank counter (离境退税) in the international- departures concourse, airside.

Allow 90 minutes extra beyond normal check-in. Amap's public POI database does not consistently surface airside customs/refund counters (they sit inside the secure zone) — confirm the exact desk from terminal signage on the day. See our China departure + tax refund 2026 guide for eligibility details.

Customs (海关申报) on arrival + departure

China's customs setup at CTU follows the standard PRC airport layout — a red-channel / green-channel split immediately after baggage claim on international arrivals, and a customs declaration counter landside before international departures. For most foreign travellers the green channel is the right choice; the red channel is for genuinely declarable items.

You must declare (red channel) if you are carrying:

Cash > US$5,000-equivalent in any foreign currency, or RMB > ¥20,000 (the standard PRC dual threshold — note both apply independently)
Artwork, antiques or cultural relics — anything genuinely old or made of restricted materials (ivory, certain woods, jade above a value threshold)
Professional equipment for commercial use — high-end cameras / drones / broadcast kit beyond personal quantities; expensive electronics if you intend to resell
More than 1.5 L of alcohol (above 12% ABV) or more than 400 cigarettes per traveller
Prescription medication in quantities suggesting commercial intent; controlled substances should be declared with documentation

On arrival at CTU (for those international flights that still arrive here): after baggage claim, the channels are signposted in green and red before the arrivals- hall exit doors. Walk through the green channel if you have nothing to declare — random spot-checks happen but are not the norm for tourist arrivals. On departure: the customs declaration counter is in the landside international-departures area at your terminal. The VAT refund customs-verification counter above is a separate counter — both are in the same general zone, with bilingual signage.

SIM card / China Mobile counter at arrivals

Per Amap 2026-05-23, the carrier presence within 2 km of CTU (others operate inside the terminals that don't surface to Amap):

中国移动 (China Mobile) — neighborhood counters along 寺圣 / 西航港 in the airport-zone village outside the terminals; the airside / terminal-internal China Mobile presence at CTU exists but doesn't consistently appear in Amap's public POI database.
中国联通 (China Unicom) — counter on 西航港大道中二段 (Amap POI B0FFIMJPKQ) within walking distance of T2; plus the terminal-internal Unicom desk near arrivals.
China Telecom kiosks also operate at T1 and T2 arrival levels (typically near the GTC / arrival exit) but don't surface clearly to Amap.

Foreigners can buy a tourist SIM with passport real-name registration (legally required). Allow 15-20 min for setup; counter-staff English varies. Or pre-purchase an eSIM before flying — see our connectivity guide. Trip.com sells an eSIM that activates on landing: Trip.com eSIM →. Holafly / Airalo / Nomad all sell China travel eSIMs activated over hotel Wi-Fi before boarding — those route via foreign carriers so Google / WhatsApp / Instagram work without a VPN.

DiDi (网约车) + taxi pickup at CTU

Each CTU terminal has a designated ride-hailing waiting zone (网约车候车区) at the arrivals level, plus the official metered-taxi rank. Because CTU is close to the city, taxi / DiDi is a genuinely competitive option here in a way it isn't at TFU:

Metered taxi — ¥50-90 to most central Chengdu neighborhoods, 25-45 minutes off-peak. Sichuan- province metering is standardized; the taxi rank is signposted at arrivals.
DiDi Rider (international DiDi app) — works with most foreign Visa / Mastercard / Amex cards in 2026.
Alipay 滴滴出行 mini-program — the other reliable foreigner path; settles fares via Alipay International. Editor first-hand: foreign Visa via Alipay booked Chengdu DiDi rides in 2025-11. See our Alipay foreigner setup guide.

CTU key facts (Amap-verified 2026-05-22)

Chinese name: 成都双流国际机场 (Chéngdū Shuāngliú Guójì Jīchǎng)
IATA / ICAO: CTU / ZUUU
Opened: 1938 (rebuilt + expanded multiple times; T2 opened 2012)
Distance from Tianfu Square: ~16 km southwest (Shuangliu district)
Role in 2026: Short-haul domestic + regional + some business routes
Terminal layout: T1 + T2, both operational, inter-terminal shuttle
Metro: Line 10 (city + Wuhou Temple terminus) + Line 19 (to TFU) + Line 30
Line 10 to Wuhou Temple: ~30 min direct, no transfer
To Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li: ~49 min (Line 10 → 红牌楼 → Line 3)
To Chengdu East Railway Station: ~59 min (Line 10 → 太平园 → Line 7)
CTU ↔ TFU inter-airport: ~63 min via Line 19; 66 km
Taxi to central Chengdu: ¥50-90, 25-45 min off-peak (much cheaper than TFU)
In-terminal hotel: Sleep-pod hotel (眯一会睡眠舱) inside both T1 and T2
Operating hours: Approx. 24h airside; Line 10 metro ~6:20am-11:00pm

Related Chengdu planning

Chengdu Tianfu Airport (TFU) guide — the other Chengdu airport, for international + long-haul flights.
Where to stay in Chengdu: 5 areas for foreigners — Wuhou Temple is the smart base for a CTU-only itinerary (Line 10 direct, no transfer).
Chengdu itinerary: 3, 5, or 7 days for first-time visitors — day-by-day plans matched to your arrival airport.
Chengdu to Chongqing: HSR + flight compared — the 1 h 20 min G-train usually beats flying CTU → CKG for foreigners.
Jinli Ancient Street + Wuhou Temple Chengdu — the cultural neighborhood at the Line 10 terminus.
Chengdu city hub — all Chengdu guides, attractions, neighborhoods.

All CTU routing data verified via Amap (高德地图) on 2026-05-22 (transit times) and 2026-05-23 (VAT counter / SIM kiosk / customs layout queries). Metro line numbers and station codes accurate to the May 2026 Chengdu Metro network. CTU's post-2021 domestic-focus role and airline-to- terminal assignments draw on aggregated 2024-2026 r/chengdu + official 双流机场 announcements — confirm your boarding-pass terminal and three-letter airport code (CTU vs TFU) 7-14 days before departure, as Chengdu carriers split and shift operations between the two airports. Corrections welcomed — contact details on the about page.