Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport

The airport was opened on 12 October 1991. It occupies an area of 10.8 km2 (2,700 acres). Its first runway is 3400 m long and 45 m wide, and it has 53 parking spaces on its apron. Shenzhen airport handled 52,734,934 passengers in 2023, according to Civil Aviation Administration of China, making it the fourth-busiest airport in mainland China. The airport was also the world's twenty-fourth busiest and the twentieth-busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic, registering 1,600,347.7 tonnes of freight in 2023. In terms of passenger movements, Shenzhen airport was the 5th busiest airport in China in 2018. Air China launched the first intercontinental air route out of Shenzhen, to Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on 21 May 2016.

Former terminals

Terminal A and B primarily served domestic flights. Terminal D, the international terminal, was opened in December 2008. It had no air gates of its own, just airside bus service to distant positions around the airport. These terminals covered an area of 152,000 square meters (1,640,000 sq ft) and consisted of 24 jetways. All three former terminals were closed on 27 November 2013, with the brand new replacement Terminal 3 opening the following day.

Current terminal

At the beginning of 2008 the 1.6 km (0.99 mi) long new terminal commenced being built as one of main works for the 2011 Summer Universiade. Designed by the architectural firm Studio Fuksas, this new terminal building was called "Terminal 3" from the beginning of construction until its formal opening. Soon after the decision of the closure of Terminals A, B and D, "Terminal 3" was renamed as it was the only terminal building in operation. The terminal was opened on 28 November 2013 after four years of planning and construction.

Terminal 3 covers an area of 450,000 square meters with 6 floors (4 are above and 2 are underground). Dubbed by locals as the "giant flying fish", the terminal is a key traffic hub in the Pearl River Delta region. With 63 boarding gates, the terminal will handle approximately 14,000 passengers per hour during peak traffic and designed to handle 45 million passengers per year

Further expansions

A new satellite concourse, designed by Aedas, opened in December 2021. It is located directly to the north of the existing Terminal 3 building and is designed with a capacity of 22 million passengers per year. It is directly connected to the main terminal by an automated people mover (APM) system.

Passenger transport facilities

The passenger transport facilities are divided into three parts: a main terminal building and two large corridors—1,050 meters (3,440 ft) long and 650 meters (2,130 ft) wide—that form a cross shape. The current terminal is three times the size of former Terminals A and B, with 450,000 square meters (4,800,000 sq ft) of floor space, 62 boarding gates and the ability to accommodate any type of plane in the world. The main building has four floors above ground and two floors underground. A connecting Ground Transport Center adjoins the terminal to the south. The main building's third floor is the waiting area for domestic and international flights, which depart from the east wing.

Other facilities

Shenzhen Airlines is headquartered on the grounds of the airport. Jade Cargo International was headquartered on the sixth floor of the Shenzhen Airlines Flight Operations Building on grounds of Shenzhen Baoan International Airport. Shenzhen Donghai Airlines has its head office in the Shenzhen Airlines facility on the airport property.

SF Airlines has its headquarters in the No.1 Freight Depot of the International Shipping Center.

Accidents and incidents

China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 - crashed while landing on 8 May 1997