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

No — Chengdu has two major international airports. TFU (Tianfu International, 天府国际机场, IATA TFU, opened June 2021) is the newer mega-airport ~50 km southeast of central Chengdu in Jianyang city, designed around two sun-bird-shaped terminals referencing the Jinsha Site gold disk artifact (太阳神鸟). CTU (Chengdu Shuangliu International, 双流国际机场, opened 1938) is the older airport 16 km southwest of central Chengdu in Shuangliu district. Since 2021 most international flights and a growing share of long-haul domestic routes have migrated to TFU; CTU now handles primarily short-haul domestic, regional, and some business-traffic routes. The two airports are 66 km apart and connected by metro Line 19 in ~63 minutes — they are NOT interchangeable. Your boarding pass shows the three-letter code TFU or CTU; confirm before heading to the airport. Most international transfers and Sichuan Airlines hub operations use TFU; some domestic legacy routes and Chongqing-shuttle services still use CTU.

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

TFU operates two parallel terminals — T1 (Lúyàzhèn / 芦葭镇 side) and T2 (Shíbǎndèng / 石板凳街道 side). Unlike Beijing PEK where T1 is currently closed, both TFU terminals are fully operational in 2026. T1 handles most international flights plus some domestic services. T2 handles primarily Sichuan Airlines (the airport's hub carrier) and most domestic flights. The two terminals are connected by the central GTC (Ground Transportation Center) — about 5-7 minutes' walk between T1 and T2 arrival/departure halls via the connecting concourse, or 2-3 minutes via the inter-terminal shuttle. Both terminals share the same metro station (天府机场1号2号航站楼, Line 18 + Line 19) and the same airport-express-bus stops, so for transit logistics they are effectively a single airport — but check your terminal before going to check-in counters, as T1 and T2 check-in halls are at different ends of the building.

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

Metro Line 18 (the dedicated TFU HSR-grade airport metro). Line 18 connects TFU 天府机场1号2号航站楼 station to Chengdu South Railway Station (火车南站) in 47 minutes flat — a single-line, no-transfer ride covering the 65 km between airport and city center. Trains run roughly every 8-12 minutes from ~6:30am to 11:00pm; fare is ¥27 single. Per Amap path-routing 2026-05-22: TFU → Chengdu South = ~50 minutes door-to-door including walks. From Chengdu South you transfer to Line 1 (Tianfu Square in 13 min, Chunxi Road area in 16 min via Line 1 + Line 2) or stay onsite if your hotel is in Gao Xin / High-Tech Zone. For travelers heading to Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li, the door-to-door is ~75 minutes including the Line 18 → Line 1 → Line 2 sequence. The airport-express buses (see below) reach Chunxi Road directly in ~95 minutes — slower than the metro but they save you the transfer at Chengdu South.

How do the four TFU airport-express bus lines differ?

TFU has four numbered express bus lines (天府国际机场公交专线) plus several night-service variants. Per Amap 2026-05: Line 1 (春熙路站 ↔ TFU T2 via T1) — for Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li hotels, ~96 min. Line 2 (宽窄巷子站 ↔ TFU T2 via T1) — for Wide-Narrow Alley / Qingyang hotels, ~94 min. Line 3 (TFU T1 ↔ 熊猫基地西门 via 三环航天路口 + 动物园公交站) — the only direct airport-to-Panda-Base shuttle in mainland China, ~93 min, useful for first-day arrivals doing pandas immediately. Line 4 (成都东客站西广场 ↔ TFU T2 via T1) — for Chengdu East Railway Station HSR onward connections, ~72 min. Each line has scheduled departures roughly every 30-60 min daytime, plus dedicated night-service buses (夜间2号线, 夜间3号线, 夜间5号线, 夜间6号线) covering late arrivals when Line 18 metro has closed. Fares typically ¥10-30 cash or QR-code payment.

How do I transfer between TFU and Shuangliu (CTU)?

Metro Line 19, opened in stages and now connecting TFU directly to 双流机场2航站楼东 (Shuangliu T2 East) station. Per Amap 2026-05: TFU → CTU T2 = ~63 minutes door-to-door (49 min Line 19 + walks at both ends). This is the practical inter-airport transfer for self-connecting passengers — and the only rail-transit option. Taxi between TFU and CTU is 66 km, normally 70-90 minutes off-peak, but Sichuan-basin traffic and the southeastern airport-zone road network make it routinely longer at rush hour; expect ¥220-300 metered, ¥350+ via DiDi premier. If your inbound TFU arrival and outbound CTU departure (or vice versa) are within 4 hours, taxi/DiDi is the safer choice; for 4+ hour gaps, Line 19 is the cheaper and more time-predictable option. Critically: TFU↔CTU is a self-connection, not an airport-handled transfer — your luggage does NOT auto-route; you collect at one airport and re-check at the other.

Are there hotels right at TFU?

Yes, but the TFU airport-zone hotel cluster is smaller and less branded than PEK's. Inside T2 itself there is a sleep-pod hotel (眯一会太空舱酒店 / Sleep Pod TFU) at the B2 国内到达 (domestic arrivals) level — useful for short layovers and 4-6 hour gaps. The immediate airport-zone (within 3 km, mostly in 草池街道 / 三渔村 area) has 15+ small Chinese-brand hotels (天府空港悦享, 云享, 安驿精品, 临空别院, 天府云逸, 洛克铂金, 鸿途, 幸福里 etc.) typically ¥150-350 per night with free or low-cost shuttle to the terminals. There is no Hilton / Marriott / Holiday Inn / Hyatt international chain on the TFU airport field as of 2026 (a meaningful gap vs PEK and PKX, which both have on-field Hilton properties). For pre-flight stays the small Chinese-brand cluster works for early flights; for layovers under 8 hours the T2 sleep-pod is more practical than leaving the airport. For pre-flight stays with a Western-chain preference, stay in Gao Xin / Chengdu South and take Line 18 (47 min) the morning of your flight — the central business hotels save you the airport-zone tradeoffs.

Where is the VAT tax refund counter at TFU?

Per Amap 2026-05 listings, TFU has departure-tax-refund counters (离境退税) at both T1 and T2 international-departures levels — the exact desk location depends on which terminal handles your departing flight, and signage in Chinese + English directs you to the correct desk from the customs hall. As with all mainland China departure tax refunds: 'Tax Free' signage at point of sale is required, same-day purchases ≥¥500 per receipt at participating retailers qualify, the VAT refund form must be completed by the retailer, and customs verification stamp is required BEFORE you can claim the refund at the bank counter. For TFU specifically, arrive 90-120 minutes earlier than your normal check-in time to handle the refund — the customs queue at international departures can exceed 30 minutes at peak. See our China departure checklist guide for the step-by-step process and what's eligible (clothing, electronics, jewelry, watches, leather, cosmetics) vs not (food, tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs).

Where is DiDi (网约车) pickup at TFU?

Each terminal has a designated ride-hailing waiting zone (网约车候车区) at the arrivals level — per Amap 2026-05 the T2 zone is in P2 stopover (with a designated DiDi passenger rest room, 滴滴出行乘客休息室, where passengers can wait for matched drivers). T1 has the equivalent zone on its arrivals level. For foreigners: DiDi Rider (the international DiDi app) works with most foreign credit cards as of 2026; Alipay's DiDi mini-program is the other reliable path (your Alipay payment flow handles fare settlement). Sichuan-province taxi metering is standardized — TFU → central Chengdu metered taxi runs ¥180-260 depending on neighborhood and traffic, slightly above DiDi at ¥160-220. For the 50 km journey allow 60-100 minutes off-peak, 90-150 minutes in rush hour. Three pickup-zone notes: (1) the GTC waiting hall has free Wi-Fi to match a driver before exiting; (2) night-time TFU departures and arrivals are quieter so match times are faster; (3) ride-share drivers cannot pull up directly to the curb — they queue at the designated zone and you walk to them.

Chengdu Tianfu Airport (TFU) Guide 2026: T1, T2, 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 to Chengdu's airports. First-hand TFU exposure is limited to one 2024 domestic transit; CTU first-hand covers multiple visits 2018-2024 including arrival, departure, and tax-refund procedures. Path-2 editorial-aggregated for TFU airside operational details — relying on aggregated 2024-2026 r/chengdu and r/flying threads, official 天府机场 announcements, Trip.com listings, and 2026-05-22 Amap (高德地图) routing for every transit time and POI distance below. Path-1 first-hand remains valid for the Sichuan-basin context, central Chengdu neighborhood logistics (linked guides), and the editor's familiarity with CTU as comparator.

TFU vs CTU — which airport is mine?

The single most common foreign-visitor mistake when planning a Chengdu trip is confusing TFU and CTU. They are two physically separate airports 66 km apart, both inside the Chengdu metropolitan administrative boundary but serving different operational roles in 2026.

Code	TFU (Tianfu)	CTU (Shuangliu)
Chinese name	成都天府国际机场	成都双流国际机场
Opened	June 2021	1938 (rebuilt multiple times)
Location	Jianyang city, 50 km SE of center	Shuangliu district, 16 km SW of center
Primary role 2026	International + long-haul domestic + Sichuan Airlines hub	Short-haul domestic + regional + remaining business routes
Terminals	T1 + T2 (both active)	T1 + T2 (both active)
Direct metro	Line 18 + Line 19	Line 10 + Line 19
To Chengdu South Stn	~47 min (Line 18 direct)	~70 min (Line 10 → Line 1)
To Chunxi Road	~75 min (Line 18 + transfers)	~70 min (Line 10 → Line 1)

The migration from CTU to TFU has been progressive since 2021 and is still ongoing in 2026 — some carriers have moved all their Chengdu operations to TFU, others run split-airport schedules, and a few still operate exclusively from CTU. Always confirm your three-letter airport code (TFU vs CTU) from the boarding pass or airline confirmation 7-14 days before departure. Booking systems sometimes auto-rebook between the two; assume nothing.

T1 vs T2 — terminal layout

Unlike Beijing Capital Airport where T1 has been suspended since 2024, both TFU terminals are fully operational in 2026. They sit at opposite ends of a long central GTC (Ground Transportation Center) that holds the metro station, airport-express bus stops, the ride-hailing waiting zones, and the inter-terminal connector.

Terminal	Typical use	Side
T1	Most international flights; international arrivals + departures; some domestic	Lúyàzhèn (芦葭镇) — north side
T2	Sichuan Airlines hub; most domestic flights; some Hong Kong / Macau / Taiwan	Shíbǎndèng (石板凳街道) — south side

T1 and T2 are connected by the central GTC concourse and by inter-terminal shuttle; allow 5-10 minutes to walk between T1 check-in and T2 check-in. For incoming international arrivals the customs and immigration halls are at T1; if your onward domestic connection departs from T2 you walk through the GTC to T2 check-in. Both terminals share the same metro station (天府机场1号2号航站楼 — Line 18 + Line 19), the same airport-express bus stops, and the same tax-refund counter network — so for transit logistics they are effectively a single station with two ends.

Five paths to central Chengdu compared

Per Amap path-routing 2026-05-22, the practical TFU → central Chengdu options for foreign visitors with luggage are:

Option	Door-to-door	Cost	Best for
Line 18 metro (TFU → 火车南站)	~50 min	¥27 single	Gao Xin / South Station hotels — direct, no transfers
Line 18 + Line 1 + Line 2 (via 火车南站 + 天府广场 + 春熙路)	~75 min	¥27 + ¥3 = ¥30	Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li hotels
Airport express Bus Line 1 (春熙路站 ↔ TFU T2 via T1)	~96 min	¥20-30	Chunxi Road — single-vehicle, no transfers, simpler with bags
Airport express Bus Line 4 (成都东客站西广场 ↔ TFU T2)	~72 min	¥20-30	Chengdu East HSR onward connections — direct station shuttle
Taxi / DiDi	60-100 min off-peak / 90-150 min rush	¥160-260	Groups of 2-3, heavy luggage, late arrivals after metro closes

For solo travelers with light luggage, Line 18 is the consensus best option — the fastest of the rail-based options, ¥27 flat fare, runs every 8-12 minutes during operating hours. For groups of 2-3 with heavy luggage, a metered taxi or DiDi to Chunxi Road area is often only marginally more expensive per person than the combined metro fares once you split it, and saves the metro transfer hassle at Chengdu South.

The four TFU airport-express bus lines

TFU has four numbered express bus lines (天府国际机场公交专线) plus dedicated night-service variants, all stopping at both T1 and T2:

Line 1 — 春熙路站 ↔ TFU T2 (via T1) (~96 min) — for Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li hotels. Single- vehicle with one stop midway at 地铁成渝立交站, useful if you're staying near the IFS / Niccolo / Temple House cluster.
Line 2 — 宽窄巷子站 ↔ TFU T2 (via T1) (~94 min) — for Wide-Narrow Alley boutique-courtyard hotels. Single-vehicle with no metro transfers needed.
Line 3 — TFU T1 ↔ 熊猫基地西门 (~93 min) — the only direct airport-to-Panda-Base shuttle in mainland China. Stops at 三环航天路口 + 动物园公交站 then drops you at the Panda Base West Gate (近军区总医院地铁站). If you're landing TFU and going straight to the Panda Base for the 8-11am activity window, this line beats Line 18 + Line 3 + connector bus.
Line 4 — 成都东客站西广场 ↔ TFU T2 (via T1) (~72 min) — for travelers with onward HSR connections from Chengdu East (Chongqing / Xi'an / Shanghai / Beijing). Drops you at the West Plaza outside Chengdu East Station — walk straight into the HSR ticket gates without a metro transfer.
Night-service buses (夜间2号线, 夜间3号线, 夜间5号线, 夜间6号线) — cover late arrivals after Line 18 metro has closed (~11:00pm). Routes overlap with the daytime lines but with fewer departures; expect 30-90 min waits between buses.

Buses are paid via Alipay / WeChat Pay QR scan, transit card, or cash; foreign Visa via Alipay International works for fare settlement. The express-bus ticket counters at TFU (T1 GTC, T2 GTC) accept cash and card. See our Alipay foreigner setup guide to pre-bind a foreign card before arrival.

Time to each Chengdu neighborhood

Per Amap path-routing 2026-05-22 — fastest viable option per destination (excluding pure taxi):

Destination	Time	Route
Chengdu South Station / Gao Xin	~50 min	Line 18 direct (47 min in carriage)
Tianfu Square	~75 min	Line 18 → Line 1 (transfer at 火车南站)
Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li	~75 min	Line 18 → Line 1 → Line 2 OR direct bus Line 1 (96 min)
Wide-Narrow Alley	~94 min	Airport express Bus Line 2 direct
Wuhou Temple / Jinli	~100 min	Line 19 → Line 10 (transfer at 双流机场2航站楼东)
Panda Base	~93 min	Airport express Bus Line 3 direct (unique to TFU)
Chengdu East Railway Station	~72 min	Airport express Bus Line 4 direct
Shuangliu Airport (CTU) for self-connection	~63 min	Line 19 direct (66 km)

Add 15-30 min buffer for terminal walks, ticket purchase, and waiting for the next departure. The faster destinations (Gao Xin / South Station) are the strongest argument for the Gao Xin / Chengdu South neighborhood when you have early TFU departures.

TFU ↔ Shuangliu (CTU) inter-airport transfer

The only realistic self-connection between TFU and CTU is via metro Line 19. Per Amap 2026-05-22: TFU → CTU T2 East = ~63 minutes door-to-door (49 minutes Line 19 + walks). The line runs roughly every 8-15 minutes daytime; from CTU T2 East you walk through to T2 check-in or take the inter-terminal shuttle to T1.

Taxi between the two airports is 66 km, normally 70-90 minutes off-peak but routinely longer at rush hour — Chengdu's ring-road traffic and the southeastern airport corridor (S3 Tianfu Airport Expressway) congest predictably 6-9am and 5-7pm. Metered taxi runs ¥220-280; DiDi premier or pre-booked private transfer ¥350+. For 4+ hour layovers Line 19 is the safer and cheaper choice; for under 4 hours taxi is the lower-risk choice if rush hour is involved.

Critical reminder: TFU↔CTU is a passenger self-connection, not an airline-handled transfer. Your luggage does NOT auto-route between the two airports — you must collect at the arrival airport, exit customs, travel to the departure airport, and re-check at the new check-in. International-to-international, international-to- domestic, and domestic-to-international combinations all require separate ticket bookings (or a single carrier that codeshares across both fields).

Where to sleep at TFU

TFU has a much smaller in-airport and airport-zone hotel inventory than PEK or PKX (Beijing), and there is no international-chain hotel (Hilton / Marriott / Holiday Inn / Hyatt etc.) on the TFU airport field as of 2026 — a meaningful gap. The realistic options:

Sleep Pod TFU (眯一会太空舱酒店) — inside T2 at the B2 国内到达 (domestic arrivals) level, near the policing room and Family Mart convenience store. Capsule beds, no private bathroom, ¥80-200 per 6-hour block. Best for short layovers and overnight gaps under 8 hours.
Chinese-brand cluster in 草池街道 — 15+ small business hotels within 3 km of the airport (天府空港悦享, 天府空港云享, 安驿精品, 临空别院, 天府云逸, 洛克铂金, 鸿途, 幸福里, 云行里, 陌野, 静雅居, 云深不知处, 尘外小居 etc.). Typically ¥150-350 per night with free or low-cost shuttle to the terminals. Mostly 3-star equivalent, foreigner- registered (verify on Trip.com filter before booking).
Stay central, ride Line 18 in the morning — for travelers with Western-chain preference, staying in Gao Xin / Chengdu South (47 min via Line 18 to TFU) gives you the full international-business hotel selection plus a single no-transfer metro ride to your morning flight.

Browse TFU airport-zone hotels on Trip.com → (filters by Trip.com's airport-zone radius; verify foreigner check-in before booking)

VAT tax refund + customs notes

Mainland China's departure VAT refund for foreign tourists is ~9% net (11% headline rate minus a 2% bank service fee) on purchases of ≥¥500 per receipt per store per day at designated Tax Free retailers, exported unused within 90 days. The TFU process mirrors PEK / PVG / CTU:

At the original Tax Free retailer, request the refund form (退税申请表) — passport required.
At TFU, present the refund form + receipts + unused goods at the customs verification counter (海关验证) for the customs stamp. This is BEFORE you check in your hold luggage if the goods are in checked bags, AFTER security if the goods are in carry-on.
After the customs stamp, claim the refund cash (≤¥10,000) or card transfer (larger amounts) at the tax-refund bank counter (离境退税). At TFU this is in the international-departures concourse at both T1 and T2.

Allow 90-120 minutes extra on top of your normal check-in time for the refund process. The customs queue alone can run 30+ minutes at international-departure peak hours. See our China departure + tax refund 2026 guide for the full eligibility list (clothing / electronics / jewelry / watches / leather / cosmetics) vs the non-eligibles (food / tobacco / alcohol / books / Rx drugs).

DiDi (网约车) pickup at TFU

Each terminal has a designated ride-hailing waiting zone (网约车候车区). Per Amap 2026-05, T2 has a dedicated DiDi passenger rest room (滴滴出行乘客休息室) inside the P2 parking garage — air-conditioned, with seating and free Wi-Fi, where matched passengers wait while their driver queues. T1 has the equivalent zone at the arrivals level.

DiDi Rider (the international DiDi app — different product from the Chinese-only DiDi app) accepts most foreign Visa / Mastercard / Amex cards as of 2026. Download before arrival; the booking UI is in English.
Alipay's 滴滴出行 mini-program is the other reliable foreigner path — your Alipay payment flow (Visa / Mastercard via Alipay International) handles fare settlement automatically. Editor first-hand: foreign Visa via Alipay successfully booked DiDi rides in Chengdu 2025-11.
Metered taxi at the official taxi rank (出租车上客区) — Sichuan-province metering is standardized; TFU → central Chengdu runs ¥180-260 depending on neighborhood. The rank at T2 出租车上客区 is on the GTC east side per Amap.

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

Chinese name: 成都天府国际机场 (Chéngdū Tiānfǔ Guójì Jīchǎng)
IATA / ICAO: TFU / ZUTF
Opened: June 2021 (Phase 1: T1 + T2 + 2 runways)
Distance from Tianfu Square: ~50 km southeast (Jianyang city)
Terminal layout: T1 + T2, both operational in 2026, ~600m connecting concourse
Metro: Line 18 (HSR-grade) + Line 19, both at 天府机场1号2号航站楼 station
Line 18 to Chengdu South Station: ~47 min direct (¥27 single)
Line 19 to Shuangliu (CTU): ~63 min door-to-door
Line 1 from Chunxi Road via Chengdu South: ~75 min door-to-door
Airport bus to Chunxi Road: ~96 min (Line 1 airport express, ¥20-30)
Airport bus to Panda Base: ~93 min (Line 3 airport express, unique to TFU)
Airport bus to Chengdu East Station: ~72 min (Line 4 airport express)
TFU ↔ CTU inter-airport: ~63 min via Line 19; 66 km
In-terminal hotel: Sleep Pod TFU at T2 B2 (domestic arrivals level)
Operating hours: Approx. 24h airside; Line 18 / Line 19 metro ~6:30am-11:00pm

Related Chengdu planning

Where to stay in Chengdu: 5 areas for foreigners — five neighborhoods compared on metro to TFU, CTU, Panda Base, and Chengdu East. Gao Xin / Chengdu South wins on TFU access via Line 18.
Chengdu itinerary: 3, 5, or 7 days for first-time visitors — day-by-day plans matched to your arrival airport.
Where to see pandas in China: 4 bases compared — the Chengdu Research Base (Line 3 from TFU goes directly), Dujiangyan, Bifengxia, Wolong.
Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou: HSR vs flight vs bus — if you're flying into TFU and connecting onward to Jiuzhaigou, the 2023 HSR from Chengdu East beats the direct flight altitude-shock.
Chengdu to Chongqing: HSR + flight compared — TFU → Chengdu East via airport bus Line 4 in 72 min, then 1 h 20 min G-train to Chongqing North; faster than flying TFU → CKG for most foreigners.
Chengdu city hub — all Chengdu guides, attractions, neighborhoods.
Alipay foreigner setup + WeChat Pay foreigner setup — pre-bind a foreign card before arrival to use airport buses, DiDi, and most domestic transactions.

All TFU routing data verified via Amap (高德地图) on 2026-05-22. Line numbers, terminal layouts, and bus-line identifiers accurate to the May 2026 published Chengdu Metro and airport-shuttle networks. Hub-airline assignments (Sichuan Airlines at T2) and CTU↔TFU migration patterns drawn from aggregated 2024-2026 r/chengdu + Trip.com listings — confirm your boarding-pass terminal and airport code 7-14 days before departure as some carriers split or shift Chengdu operations. Corrections welcomed — contact details on the about page.