Xining Caojiabao International Airport (XNN), usually called Xining Airport, is the main airport of Qinghai province in north-west China and a regional hub on the Tibetan Plateau. It stands in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Haidong, roughly 25 to 30 km east of central Xining. At over 2,000 m, it is one of China's high-altitude airports. Domestic flights use Terminal 3 (T3), while international flights and those to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan use Terminal 1 (T1).

The airport is run by Qinghai Airport Co., Ltd., part of the Western Airport Group. It has no working website and posts its notices on WeChat, so this guide is built from those official announcements.

Terminals at Xining Airport

Xining Airport splits its traffic by type of flight. Getting the terminal right matters more here than at many airports, because T1 and T3 are separate. No published airline list exists for either terminal, so check the terminal on your e-ticket before you leave.

T3 (domestic)

All domestic arrivals and departures at Xining Airport use T3. The terminal opens at 04:30 and closes after the day's last flight. If you are driving or taking a taxi, set your navigation to 'T3 (domestic departures)'.

T1 (international)

T1 handles international flights, plus flights to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. If your ticket takes you out of mainland China, this is your terminal.

T2 (temporarily closed)

T2 has been suspended since T3 opened, and all domestic flights moved across to T3. Older airline pages may still mention T2, so treat any reference to it with caution and confirm on your booking. Treat the closure as temporary and go by the terminal on your e-ticket.

No official transfer between T1 and T3 is published. If you are connecting between a domestic and an international flight, ask your airline about the transfer and leave plenty of time.

Getting to and from Xining Airport

Ground transport at Xining Airport is gathered at the Ground Transportation Centre (GTC). Journey times to the city are not published and depend on traffic, and fares are shown at the counter or in the app.

Airport bus

From arrivals, follow the GTC signs to the airport bus. Qinghai Airport Co. publishes the current stops on its WeChat account, which is the place to check before you travel.

Taxi, ride-hailing and private car

Taxis, ride-hailing cars and private cars also use the GTC. For departures, navigate to 'T3 (domestic departures)' for domestic flights so you are dropped at the right building.

Parking at Xining Airport

Parking is in the East and West parking buildings at the GTC. Rates are set by the operator and are not listed here.

Tips for departing from Xining Airport

For a domestic flight, arrive at Xining Airport about 2 hours before departure. At T3, check-in and bag drop close 35 minutes before the scheduled departure, and boarding gates close 15 minutes before. For international flights and those to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the cut-off is set by your airline, so check your booking.

Entry rules for China are set by the government, so check the official guidance for your passport before you fly. For updates on a flight, use the Traveloka flight status page.

Flights and flight schedule from Xining Airport

The fare cards here show fares from Xining to the routes on sale. The schedule tables list upcoming flights at XNN by date, with the airline and scheduled times. They are a selection, not every service, so use them to narrow down your options before you book or set a Price Alert.

Popular routes from Xining Airport include:

• Xining to Shanghai flights
• Xining to Hong Kong flights
• Xining to Zhengzhou flights
• Xining to Zhoushan flights
• Xining to Yushu flights

Heading for Qinghai and the Tibetan Plateau? Compare flights to and from Xining on Traveloka and book the one that suits you.