CTU-Spot1
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU/ZUUU) is located at 16KM southwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. It is an important hub airport in southwest China. By 2018, it had been built into a modern international airport with two runways, two terminal buildings and a freight center with more than 200 routes covering major domestic areas and an increasing number of international (regional) routes and all-cargo routes. According to statistics, Shuangliu Airport has more than 50 million passengers in 2018 which is among world’s top 30 busiest airport and the fourth busiest in mainland China after Beijing Capital, Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun. Chengdu Shuangliu Airport is the base of Sichuan Airlines and Chengdu Airlines. Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Luckyair, Shenzhen Airlines and so on have also set up branches here.
There are two runways in Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, 02L/20R and 20R/20L. Usually runway 02L/20R is used for northward departure and runway 02R/20L for northward arrival. The airport is not likely to operate southward, only in certain weather and wind conditions in summer. Because of the large number of houses and fences around, runway 02L/20R has almost no spotting location at close range. By contrast, a large part of the area around runway 02R/20L is higher than the runway surface, so it is very suitable for spotting landing airplanes at close range.
Transportation to the airport is very convenient, Spotters can go through high-speed railways, subways, buses, taxis, and even by bicycle to the spotting locations. Chengdu Shuangliu Airport has several good spotting locations, but the climatic factors often affect the pictures quality. There is almost no sunshine in winter, and the haze is very serious. It is suggested that the spotting time be April to October.
General tips for China
Some websites and app don’t work in China (like Whattsap or Facebook/Messanger ecc.) so you might need a list of useful apps:
We recommend to buy a prepaid card at the airport during transit as the chance to talk to an english speaking seller is much bigger there.
Guide written by Jeff Tang, Ruoyang Yan, Dirk Weinrich. Last Update: March 2019
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Airport Information | |
Runways | |
02L/20R | 3600m(11811ft) |
02R/20L | 3600m(11811ft) |
Terminals | |
Terminal 1 | All international flights and domestic flights operated by Sichuan Airlines |
Terminal 2 | All domestic flights except operated by Sichuan Airlines |
Spotting Information | |
Ladder | No Needed |
Car/Public Transport | Car/Taxi is the best choice,. By public transport its possible but you can not get to spotting location directly and need to walk especially for the southern spots.. |
Restrooms | It’s not easy to find, maybe in some farmers’ yards. |
Drinks/Food | Better to carry foods and drinks. |
Hotels | Nearby the Airport |
Season | It’s better to choose April to October, with good sunshine and visibility. |
Runway Usage | |
02L/20R | All day operation, mainly used for northward departure |
02R/20L | All day operation, mainly used for northward arrival, northward departure before 9:00AM, and used for heavy aircraft operations like B748, A380 |
Due to national security concerns, the use of geographic information in China is restricted and the layers in google maps don´t fit. The satellite images are correct but the street layers are displaced!
Please click on the link at each location (WHERE) to get to the chinese website baidu where you find an exact map with satellite and street view images. If you use a smartphone please download the Baidu App.
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Spot #1 – No.6 Longqiao Rd – 02L departure/ 20R arrival |
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WHERE | This spotting location is on the roof of an 11-storey building west of runway 02L, beside LongQiao Road, (龙桥路) and opposite of the “Rujia Hotel (如家酒店)”. If you come from downtown Chengdu, take metro line 3 to LongQiao Road (龙桥路) and use Exit C. Then, take the bus NO.548 or NO.516 to LongQiao Market (龙桥综合市场), you should be able to see the buildings located across the street in the picture below. Use the main gate to enter the building, take the evaluator to the top floor, then use the stairs to the roof. It should be noted that when you enter the building, don’t draw too much attention from the security guards as they don’t really like plane spotters, so, put your lens and tripod in your bag until you reach the roof, there will definitely be no problem. |
WHAT | The movements of runway 02L/20R and terminal can be seen completely here. There is no obstruction in sight. Usually you can take pictures of planes departing from runway 02L here, while the altitude of the passing planes will exceed 100 meters at the closest distance from this location. It will be a ideal place to take pictures when planes final approaching on runway 20R, which will get the airport building or city sense as pictures background. |
TIME | Good weather in summer between 3:00pm-7:00pm, winter is not recommended because of its terrible visibility. |
MISC. | There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself to the top. On the main road there are several food stores. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 300mm – 500mm |
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Spot #2 – XieYiJiaRi 14th Floor – 02L/taxiway |
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WHERE | This spotting location is on the 14th floor of a high-rise building near Changshun Road, XieYiJiaRi apartment (写意小区). It has a high view and can overlook most of the airports. Unfortunately, trees blocked the runway, so here you can only see the taxiway, apron and terminal 2. And because of the distance, spotting here requires very good weather and visibility. You can go there by taxi or bicycle. You can also use the public transportation, if you come from downtown Chengdu, take metro line 3 to “Dongshen Road Station” (东升路) and follows the direction to walk for around 1 km until you see the building in the picture below. Normally, the main gate is unlocked so you can enter in the apartment freely, when you enter in, just take the evaluator to the top floor, where you could find a nice spot on the roof. |
WHAT | Aircraft taking off from runway 02L or runway 02R will pass through the taxiway in front of this location and can take pictures of aircraft taxiing on the ground. |
TIME | Good weather in summer between 3:00pm-7:00pm,winter is not recommended because of its terrible visibility. |
MISC. | There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 400 – 600mm |
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Spot #3 – Mengzi Village – 02R departure and arrival |
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WHERE | This Spotting location is on the east side of the middle section of runway 02R/20L. The abandoned fields. higher than the runway surface. It can be reached by taxi or bicycle. It is also possible to get here by public transportations (but it’s not recommended as you need to transfer for multiple times.) If you come from downtown Chengdu, take metro line 3 to “Shuangliu Square Station” (双流广场站), exit at A1 and walk for about 300m, then take bus NO.838 to “Guangdu Avenue Dajie Intersection Station” (广都大道大件路口站), finally, take bus NO. S33 to “Mengzi Village Station” (檬子社区), which is pretty close to this station. |
WHAT | In most case, You can spot the planes landing on runway 02R here. the planes taking off from 02R can also be spotted here before 9:00 a.m. |
TIME | From sunrise to noon |
MISC. | There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful. Also, please pay attention to the interruption of the bird net |
FOCAL LENGTH | 100 -300mm |
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Spot #4 – LiangFengding – 02R arrival |
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WHERE | This Spotting location is on the east side of the South end of runway 02R/20L, on some abandoned fields. You are higher than the runway surface so no ladder is needed. It can be reached by taxi or bicycle. It is also possible to get here by public transportations (but it’s not recommended as you need to transfer for multiple times). Just follow the same direction as location 3 to take the bus S33, get off at “Hejiadian Station (赫家店站)” which is 3 stops after “Mengzi Village” (檬子社区) and walk/drive on the small path from the main road till the fields. |
WHAT | Here you can take pictures of planes final approaching on runway 02R.If luck and weather are good enough, You can even spot snowy mountains 50 kilometers away as a background for the planes. |
TIME | From sunrise to noon |
MISC. | There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 300mm |
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Spot #5 – Muhua Road – 02R Arrival |
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WHERE | This location is at the end of runway 02R, just follow the direction on the map, you can stand on the side of Muhua road to spot. You can move along the road to find the best angle. It is recommend to reach here by taxi or bicycle as parking is strict prohibited here. If you prefer to use public transportation, take metro line 3 to “Shuangliu West station” (双流西站) and use exit E. Then cross the street (about 200m far) and take bus 811 to “Muhua Road Huangang Intersection Station” (牧华路环港路口站), you should be able to see the final approach traffic when you get off the bus, just walk along the road for about 800m, you can arrive this location. |
WHAT | Here you can take pictures of planes land on runway 02R in the sky, which is the same as in location 4. |
TIME | This location is ideal for the whole day, depends on the location you stand. |
MISC. | There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 100mm – 200mm |
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Spot #6 – South Section of Shuangyong Road -02R arrival / Taxiway |
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WHERE | Update November 2021: there are construction works going on at this spot and it is not accessible. |
WHAT | |
TIME | |
MISC. | |
FOCAL LENGTH | |
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Spot #7 – Mid Section of Shuangyong Road -02R arrival / 20L departure |
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WHERE | This spotting location is on the west side of runway 02R just a bit north of the fomer spot 6 along the Shuangyong Road. Actually there are several good spotting location by the road without any obstruction so feel free to find your prefered location. It can be reached by taxi or bicycle, if you use public transportation, use the same way as location 6. |
WHAT | Here you can take pictures of planes final approaching on runway 02R which is the same traffic as the previous location. |
TIME | From noon to sunset |
MISC. | There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 150 – 400mm |
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Spot #8 – Airport Park – 20R arrivals |
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WHERE | A brand new “airport park” has been installed in the northern corner of the airport boundaries, next to the 20R threshold. It’s walkable from Spot 1. Just cross the major thoroughfare. Basically a green park area where you can walk along the fence around the head of Rwy 20R until one reach a slightly elevated hillside on the eastern corner which offers a view of the arrivals, ramp and lineup of 20R. In the afternoon you can easily switch on the other side of the park to catch the arrivals. If you arrive by car a guarded parking lot is right at the entrance of the park. |
WHAT | All arrivals and line-up on rwy 20R. Apron in front of the maintenance hangars. |
TIME | Depends on what you photograph. For the arrivals all day long except noon when the sun is on the runway axis. |
MISC. | In the park are some hawkers selling some street food and drinks. Otherwise bring what you need. There is no shade at the hill. Some locals come here to watch the planes. There should be no issue with security |
FOCAL LENGTH | From 70mm for the apron. Depending on the aircraft and parking position. For the threshold at least 100mm are necessary. |
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Spot #9 – Overpass – 02L arrivals and departures, taxiway |
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WHERE | There is a pedestrian overpass bridge near the crossing of the newly build Huangang Road and Qingtai Road. You can easily photograph the traffic from the top of the bridge. The nearest bus station is Qingtailu Dong Station, 300m far away from the spot. Bus route S06 passes through this stop. The bus can shuttle Metro line 3 at Sanliba metro station. |
WHAT | Takeoff/Landing on RWY02L and movements taxiway are available at this spot. |
TIME | Good weather in summer between 3:00pm-7:00pm, winter is not recommended because of its terrible visibility. |
MISC. | There are no shops or restaurants near the spot. Visitors need to bring food/drinks by themselves. Delivery apps are available here too. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 300mm – 500mm |
Hi
There is a new spot not mentioned in the guide. The longitude and latitude coordinates of the spot is 30.5652715, 103.9404156, an Overpass bridge near the crossing of Huangang Road and Qingtai Road. Takeoff/Landing on RWY02L and movements taxiway are available at this spot.
The nearest bus station is Qingtailu Dong Station, 300m far away from the spot. Bus route S06 passes through this stop. The Bus can shuttle Metro line 3 at Sanliba metro station. There are no shops or restaurants near the spot. Visitors need to bring food/drinks by themselves. Delivery apps are available here too.
Good day Haotian, thanks for the new location. Sounds very interesting. Can you provide some photos to support@spotterguide.net please.
Thanks in advance, Julian
Spot 6 is not accessable anymore owing to a construction site.
Right north of Rwy 20R is a newly opened “Airport Park”. It’s a small park which offers partly an elevated position to look onto threshold 20R and the apron east of the threshold. Nightshots of the parked aircraft in front of the maintenance hangars are possible.
Can you send us photos for the new park please by using this form.
https://www.spotterguide.net/missing-photos-location/
Spot 6 has been noted.
-Julian
is it really that bad in January ?
The weather is more ideal during spring and summer, be sure to check the weather before you go.
yeah I understood, but I booked the fight just before asking this question haha, so, well lets see
Wish you have a good trip!
Me too!
Very complete guide. Nice to have ways to go, more representative. Thanks for you great job 🙂
You are welcome Michael. We did our best 🙂
-Julian