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Wuhan Tianhe Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on August 5, 2024
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is one of the largest airport in central part of China and the gateway of Hubei Province which handled 27.15 million passengers in 2019. This Airport is located about 23 kilometers north of Wuhan downtown and it was officially opened on Apr. 15, 1995 to replace the former Wuhan Nanhu Airport.
Wuhan Tianhe Airport is the focus city for China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air China. Also, you will see plenty of other Chinese airlines such as Hainan Al., Xiamen Al., Sichuan Al., Shandong Al., Chongqing Al., Shenzhen Al., Capital Al., Urumqi Air, Tianjin Al., Spring Al. etc. You will also see some international and regional airlines at the day time such as Air France, Korean Air, ANA, Maldivian, Air Aisa, Lion Air, China Airlines, Cathay Dragon.
The terminal 3 were opened on Aug.31, 2017. Now, this 4F airport has one transportation center, two runways and three terminals.
General tips for China
many foreign websites and apps are blocked and don’t work in China. Below you will find some helpful apps:
- WeChat: every Chinese use this app, it also has a good translation function that helps really a lot because the language is the main barrier. You can translate from Chinese writings and they can translate your English into Chinese characters. This is a must have. The common western messenger services like Facebook, WhatsApp etc. don not work in China!
- Alipay: it is a major Chinese App that can be registered abroad and almost all shops/stores/hotels etc. support it as an official payment. You can add your western credit card like Amex, VISA or Mastercard to Alipay in advance. Furthermore you can also book and pay flights, hotels, restaurants, didi etc. with the app. This app is a must have!
- Didi: the Chinese “Uber”. Very helpful to reach the spots which are not connected to the public transport.
- Baidu Maps or Gaode Maps: this is the chinese google/apple maps.
We recommend to buy a chinese eSIM in advance from airalo for example. It is cheap and simple to install.
Written by Boheng Zhou (local spotter). Last update: Feb 2020
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| Airport Information | |||||
| Runways | |||||
| 04L/22R | 3400m(11154.86ft) | ||||
| 04R/22L | 3600m(11811.02ft) | ||||
| Terminals | |||||
| Terminal 1 | For VIP and Chartered Jets only. | ||||
| Terminal 2 | Closed due to ongoing renovation and expansion works. | ||||
| Terminal 3 | All the Domestic and International/Regional Flights. | ||||
| Spotting Information | |||||
| Ladder | No ladder needed. | ||||
| Car/Public Transport | Car is recommended. If there is no car, you can use the car hailing apps such as “DiDi”. For some spots you can take the metro+bus to get there. | ||||
| Restrooms | There is nothing at the spots themselves. But you can use the restrooms in the terminal building if you are at the spots nearby. | ||||
| Drinks/Food | There is nothing at the spots themselves. But you can buy the food and drinks in the terminal building if you are at the spots nearby. | ||||
| Hotels | There is only a business hotel near the airport but inside the city you’ll find a lot, such as the Hampton by Hilton which is only three metro stops from the airport. | ||||
| Season | The best season for spotting in Wuhan is the Spring and Autumn. It is very hot in summer, so I do not recommend that you are shooting for a long time in a place without shade. | ||||
| Runway Usage | |||||
| 04L/22R | Usually used for departures. | ||||
| 04R/22L | Usually used for arrivals. | ||||
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 – Terminal Road – taxiway north |
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| WHERE | This location is a nice place to photograph a taxiing aircraft. It is on a road without a sidewalk, although there are just few cars pass here, we want to remind to pay attention to safety when shooting! If you drive by yourself, you should park your car at the T2 Parking lot then walk for half miles to get there. If you use the “DiDi” (The Chinese Uber), you can set the place with the Chinese characters (天河机场国际航站楼) as your destination. You can also take the metro to the station “Tianhe International Airport”(天河机场) then go to the ground (level 1) of the Terminal 3. Then follow the navigation on the map, pass Terminal 2 and 1. Way is about half a mile. (Terminal 2 is closed for renovations and there is no bus stop so you need to walk from T3)LINK to Baidu Maps. |
| WHAT | Taxing aircrafts to/ from the runways to/from the parking positions. |
| TIME | Best light in the summer months from sunrise until early noon. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Be aware that there is no sidewalk! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | You are very close! A320=40mm |
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Spot #2 – Hospital – 04L arrivals |
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| WHERE | The spot is next to a hospital and the airports fire fighter training facility. You can drive or use the “DiDi” to the place directly, just search for Chinese characters (西四道). You can also take the metro to the “Tianhe International Airport”(天河机场) then go to the level 1 of the Terminal 3 and find the “T3 Terminal West” bus station (T3航站楼西站). Then you can take the bus “Airport line 1” (空港1路) for 2 stops, you will get off at the “Business Hotel”(商务酒店) station. You’d better inform the driver in advance when you get on the bus that you will get off at the “Business Hotel” (商务酒店), otherwise the bus may not stop at the station. Just show the Chinese translation “请提醒我在商务酒店下车，谢谢” to the driver because the driver does not speak English.
After getting off, continue walk straight the road for about 500 meters until you see the hospital to your right. Start spotting from the side of the road on a meadow. |
| WHAT | This location is a place to photograph the 04L arrivals (rare). 22R departure possible but very high. |
| TIME | From sunrise until late noon all year round. |
| MISC. | The closest facilities are within the Business Hotel. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Not known |
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Spot #3 – Zhengsong Street – 22R lineup |
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| WHERE | The spot 3 is on a top of a small hill so you can get a clear view for runway 22R and there are some trees can provide the shade but will not block the camera. If you have a car, go to the Zhengsong Street (正松街) first, then go southward along the Zhengsong Street until you see the airport boundary, then turn left and walk for 100 meters, you will see a small hill with steps in front of your left hand, use these steps go uphill, then you will get the view. If you use the “DiDi” (Chinese Uber), set the place with the Chinese characters (正松街加工厂) as your destination. After getting off, continue walk southward for about 350 meters until you see the airport boundary, then turn left and walk for 100 meters, you will arrive the small hill.
You can also take the bus line “265” (265路) to the station Heqing Street (河清街), then walk westward for about 120 meters and turn left at the Zhengsong Street (正松街), then continue straignt for about 840 meters until you see the airport boundary, then turn left and walk for 100 meters, you will arrive the spot. |
| WHAT | RWY 04L/22R is mainly used for takeoff. You can photograph aircraft on taxiway and takeoff on RWY 22R or takeoffs on RWY 04L. In a few cases, you can also photograph the aircraft landing on the RWY 22R. |
| TIME | Best time will be from late afternoon until sunset during the summer months. Backlit in winter. |
| MISC. | No restroom here, Food and drinks are available at the town when you get off the bus. There are 3-4 small graves on the hill too, but the whole place has no spooky atmosphere at the day-time. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 788=80mm; 738=110mm |
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Spot #4 – Dirt Road – 04L arrivals and departures |
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| WHERE | There is no public transport to this spot so you can only drive a car to there. You need to follow the Zhengsong Street (正松街) until you see the airport boundary, then you need to turn right (turn left will arrive at the Spot 3). Then you will follow the path outside the airport boundary and drive for about 2.4 kilometers along the fence on a dirt road until you reached the other side of the runway as marked on the map. Find a convenient place on the side of the path and park your car on the side. You are on an elevated position to clear the airport fence.
We don’t know if you can get to that place from the Spot #2. However, if you have no car, you can choose the DiDi service (Chinese Uber) and set the Chenjiatian (陈家田) as your destination. After getting off, continue walking for about 250 meters, then you will arrive the spot. PS: Chenjiatian is an abandoned village, if there is no driver pick you up, you can choose another destination Liangjiatian (两家田), but that will walk much longer (like one mile.) |
| WHAT | You can photograph aircraft taking off from RWY 04L. Landings are possible as well but rare. |
| TIME | Best time will be from late afternoon until sunset during the summer months. Backlit in winter. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, bring everything you need before go there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300 mm |
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Spot #5 – Yinying Street – 04R/22L movements |
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| WHERE | This is a great place to photograph the 04R/22L movements. However, there is no convenient public transport to this spot, so driving a car is recommended. You should drive to the Songgang Road (宋岗路) first, then at most end of the Songgang Road, there is a branch road names Yinying Street (银鹰街) in front of your right hand. Then continue straight for 1.6 kilometers along Yinying Street, at the end of the road, you will see the 04R/22L runway is just in front of you. If you use the “DiDi”, just set the Chinese characters (银鹰街) as your destination. After you get off, continue straight for about 600 meters, then you will arrive at the place (5A). You are on an elevated position to easily clear the fence. If you don’t like the background you can walk 200 meters eastwards till another hill (5B) or another 200m to point next to an abandoned building (5C). |
| WHAT | As you are in the middle of the runway you can catch all movements on 04R/22L, no matter which direction is active. |
| TIME | From sunrise until late noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Absolutely nothing nearby! Be aware of the green bird protection poles along the perimeter fence that interrupt the sight. It can get muddy so be prepared if you wanna switch the positions. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 73H = 90mm; A330 = 50mm |
Location 5A:
Location 5B:
Location 5C:
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Spot #6 – Terminal Road – taxiway south |
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| WHERE | This place is almost the same postion as spot #1 but on the other side of the taxiway on the bridge across the Airport Expressway on Nanyi road (南一路), You can drive or use the “DiDi” to the place directly, just search for Chinese characters (南一路). If you want to take the bus, you can follow the same way to Spot #2 (take the bus “Airport line 1” (空港1路) for 2 stops and get off at the “Business Hotel”(商务酒店) station) first. Then turn right on the Xier Road (西二道), walk for 270 meters then turn right at the end of Xier Road, then walk straight for about 300 meters you will arrive this spot. |
| WHAT | Taxing aircrafts to/ from the runways to/from the parking positions. Same as the Spot #1 but the different background. |
| TIME | Best light from 12:00 till the sunset. |
| MISC. | The closest facilities are within the Business Hotel. This place has sidewalk, so it is much safer than Spot #1. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | You are very close! A320=40mm |
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Spot #7 – Dongsan Road – 04R arrivals |
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| WHERE | This place is located on the side of Dongsan road (东三路). You can drive or use the “DiDi” to the place directly, just search for Chinese characters (东三路). If you want to take the bus, you need to take the “Airport line1” (空港1路) for 5 stops from the terminal building and get off at the “Dongyi Road” (东一道) station. Then you need follow the Nansi Road (南四路) and walk for about 580 meters. You will find a nice grassland along Dongsan road. Choose a place you like. |
| WHAT | This location is a place to photograph the 04R arrivals. |
| TIME | Best time will be from late afternoon until sunset during the summer months. Backlit in winter. |
| MISC. | The closest facilities are within the Business Hotel. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250-300 mm |
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