TYN-Spot1
Taiyuan Wusu International Airport (ICAO: ZBYN, IATA: TYN) is an international airport located in the Shanxi province in northern China and welcomed 13.5 Mio passengers in 2018. This airport is a purely civil airport, but occasionally there are Chinese Air Force aircraft to train or transport important personnel. The airport is the base of China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Kunming Airlines. There were many international flights at the airport, such as flights to Denpasar, Thailand, Bangkok, Russia, Moscow and Nagoya, Japan, but these flights were grounded by COVID-19.At present, the airport mainly operates domestic routes, but there will be an international flight from Warsaw Chopin International Airport in Poland operated by Air China every Saturday, and a cargo flight from China Southern Airlines to San Francisco International Airport in the United States on the same day. At present, you can see many domestic airlines in China, such as China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China International Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shandong Airlines and so on.
Spot1 is used to shoot the takeoff and landing of runway 31, spot2 can shoot both takeoff and landing, and spot3 is used to shoot the takeoff and landing of runway 13. Therefore, you can rest assured to shoot at the airport without worrying about the risk of missing rare aircraft.
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.
Written by Zeyi Guo (local spotter). Last Update: December 2021
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Airport Information | |
Runways | |
13/31 | 3.600m (11.811 ft) Concrete |
Terminals | |
Terminal 1 | Domestic flights of Hainan Airlines, HNA Group, Shenzhen Airlines, Kunming Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Air China |
Terminal 2 | Domestic flights of China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, 9 Air , Spring Airlines, Sichuan Airlines,Junyao Air, OK Air, China Express and Chengdu airlines, as well as all international / regional flights of the airport. |
Spotting Information | |
Ladder | Needed for location 4 |
Car/Public Transport | Cars are necessary here because there is no public transport to all four locations. |
Drinks/Food | There are no shops near the four locations. It is recommended that you prepare enough when you go. |
Hotels | Nearby hotels can be queried on Ctrip. https://m.ctrip.com/html5/ |
Season | It’s very hot in summer and cold all day in winter. According to the weather here, the visibility is very high after rain in summer; In winter, only the weather with very cold and northwest wind can have better visibility and bluer sky. |
Runway Usage | |
13/31 | Runway 13 / 31 is the only runway of the airport, which runs northwest to Southeast. Due to the prevailing northwest wind in Taiyuan, the probability of using runway 31 will be very high. |
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 – Beiwangming Town – 31 arrivals and line-up, taxiway |
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WHERE | This spot is called “Beiwangming” and is the most commonly used place by planespotters to shot the scene when the aircraft takes off and lands using runway 31. You need to use Baidu map to input Chinese search: Beiwangming Central Primary School /北王名中心小学. After entering the village pass the school to your right hand side and go straight north along the road. When see a yellow house turn right. Behind the yellow house, you can see a spiral staircase to reach the rooftop where you can spot from. |
WHAT | RWY31,TWY A,TWY A1,TWY A2 |
TIME | 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in summer, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in spring and autumn, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter. |
MISC. | There are no shops, so you need to bring enough food and water. Entering this village, you will see a piece of ruins, because it is part of the airport expansion and demolition plan and is likely to disappear in the near future. If you like this location, please cherish it. |
FOCAL LENGTH | TWY:B777/B787/A330 150mm,B737/A320/ARJ21/CRJ900 250mm. RWY:B777/B787BA330 100mm ,B737/A320/ARJ21/CRJ900 150-200mm |
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Spot #2 – Gaozhong Town – All movements, taxiway, ramp |
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WHERE | “Gaozhong” is the name of a place close to the south of the middle part of the airport runway. It is an area where you can see the whole airport and the aircraft taking off and landing on runway 13/31 from. This is applicable to frequent runway replacement due to unstable wind direction. To get there you need to search Gaozhong village committee 高中村村委会 in Chinese on Baidu map.Then follow the navigation points on the map to find the shooting location behind some ruins on and a large mound of soil. |
WHAT | RWY31,TWY A,TWY A5,TWY A6,TWY B1,Terminal 1,Terminal 2,Ramp,Tower |
TIME | 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in summer, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in spring and autumn, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter. |
MISC. | This is also a village to be demolished. It is full of ruins. It also needs to carry its own water and food. The road condition here is very bad, so the photographer needs to judge by himself according to the actual road condition and his own vehicle condition. Of course, walking into the village is the safest, but it takes a relatively long time, about 15 minutes. At the same time, it should be noted that there will be serious Geothermal in summer or when there is no wind, which will have a great impact on the shooting. |
FOCAL LENGTH | RWY:B777/B787/A330 70mm,B737/A320/ARJ21/CRJ900 100-150mm. TWY:B777/B787/A330 100-150mm,B737/A320/ARJ21/CRJ900 200-250mm. Ramp 300mm. |
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Spot #3 – Malianying Town 13 arrivals, and line-up, taxiway |
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WHERE | “Malianying” is a village next to the threshold of runway 13. You need to use Baidu map to search Malianying village 马练营村 in Chinese, and then find a yellow and white 6-storey building according to the navigation point. After entering the building, take the stairs up to the roof of the building. |
WHAT | RWY13,TWY A,TWY A7,TWY A8 |
TIME | Sunny days: 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in summer, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in spring and autumn, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter. |
MISC. | It should be noted that the village and the shooting building are inhabited by residents, so please keep quiet and take away the garbage when you leave. There are many restaurants and shops here. Basically, you don’t need to worry about food and water, and you can park downstairs, which is very convenient. However, due to the prevailing northwest wind in Taiyuan, the probability of shoting here is not very high. As there is barbed wire on the roof, it is recommended to carry a small ladder of about 60cm. |
FOCAL LENGTH | RWY:70-150mm. TWY:150-250mm. |
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Spot #4 – Parking – Ramp |
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WHERE | The International apron of the airpot is a suitable place for night shooting. It usually takes long exposure to shot rare international flights arriving at night. You need to search Taiyuan Wusu International Airport No. 1 staff parking lot 太原武宿国际机场1号职工停车场 on Baidu map in Chinese.Then follow the navigation point to the East and find a suitable space in the parking lot in front of the barbed wire and stop. |
WHAT | Ramp |
TIME | Summer before 10 a.m. and at any time at night. |
MISC. | It is close to the airport terminal, so it is convenient to buy food and water. However, there is a high barbed wire fence. It is recommended to carry a 1.5-2m ladder or stand directly on the roof of the car. At the same time, pay attention not to touch the barbed wire of the airport, and pay attention to the movement of airport security personnel. Most importantly, it is located in the international area. Many international passengers will enter and leave the nearby doors, and suggest wearing masks throughout COVID-19. |
FOCAL LENGTH | Ramp:24-70mm. |
Thanks for sharing, which is very helpful to me.