Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
Shenzhen · China· Shenzhen Bao'an International AirportShenzhen Bao'an International Airport (IATA: SZX) is a airport serving Shenzhen, China.
Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX) is a large international airport serving Shenzhen, China. This page gathers the airport codes, location map and travel information.
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Satellite view: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX), its runways and terminal on the eastern shore of the Pearl River estuary.
Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport route map — direct destinationsRoute Map
79 direct destinations: map, operating airlines and distances.
Airport information & detailsAirport Details
Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport terminal guideAirport Guide
Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport sits north-west of the city on the eastern shore of the Pearl River estuary, handles around 66 million passengers a year and lies about 32 km from the Futian central district. Its layout is simple, yet easy to misjudge: there is only one main building (T3), but some gates are in a satellite hall that opened in late 2021 — check-in is straightforward, but the gate itself may be a journey.
One main building and one satellite hall
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| T3 main building | Check-in, security, immigration and some gates; hexagonal honeycomb facade |
| T3 satellite hall | Opened in late 2021; departure gates only, linked to the main building by a free people mover |
Working out where you are going:
- All check-in, bag drop and security is done in the T3 main building; the satellite hall has no check-in.
- If your gate is in the satellite hall, you take the free people mover after security, so allow an extra 15–20 minutes on top of your usual buffer.
- The satellite hall mostly handles domestic departures and international gates are usually in the main building, but your boarding pass is the final word.
Our diagram draws the satellite hall as an elongated block set apart from the main building, precisely to remind you that it is not a pier you can walk to.
Transfers and connections
Transfers at Shenzhen all happen within T3, and the process is simple:
- Start by checking whether your two flights' gates are split between the main building and the satellite hall.
- Both in the main building is quickest; if one is in the satellite hall, add the return people-mover journey and allow more than 90 minutes.
- Domestic flights are dense and gate allocations change often, so go by the live flight displays when connecting.
Routes and flights
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Routes | A record around 66 million passengers in 2025 (+8.1%); 61 international and regional destinations (long-haul points such as Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai), with a dense domestic network across China. |
| Flights | 448,000 aircraft movements in 2025 (about 1,230 a day); in the 2025/26 season the daily plan ran at around 1,300 movements. The third runway entered service in December 2025. |
| Aircraft | The main base is China Southern Airlines (its second-largest hub; A320 family narrowbodies with A350 / 787 widebodies on long-haul), alongside Shenzhen Airlines and the SF Airlines all-freighter cargo base. |
Getting into the city
- Metro Line 11 — from Airport station straight to Futian; built as an express line, about 30 minutes into town, and the best option.
- Guangzhou–Shenzhen Intercity Railway — from Airport station towards Dongguan and Guangzhou, useful if you are continuing elsewhere in the Pearl River Delta.
- Taxi / ride-hailing — about 32 km; the western expressways clog badly at peak times.
- Airport express coaches — cover the city's districts and neighbouring cities.
Practical tips
- Pearl River Delta airports sit close together, and Shenzhen (SZX), Guangzhou (CAN) and Hong Kong (HKG) are often weighed against each other, so confirm the three-letter code of your departure airport when booking rather than going by the city name alone.
- Check-in queues are long in the morning peak, so arrive half an hour earlier still if you are catching an early flight.
- The airport ferry terminal runs fast-boat routes to Hong Kong and other nearby crossings, useful for a cross-city transfer; check the timetable in advance.
Satellite view
Satellite view: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX), its runways and terminal on the eastern shore of the Pearl River estuary.
Satellite imagery © Esri World Imagery, used here for location reference only.