About Zhoushuizi Airport
Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Dalian in Northeast China's Liaoning province. It is located in Ganjingzi District, about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of the city center. In 2025, the airport handled 19,787,716 passengers, making it the busiest airport in Northeast China and the 27th busiest nationwide. The airport is the hub for Dalian Airlines and a focus city for China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines. As Zhoushuizi Airport has reached its designed capacity, the new Dalian Jinzhouwan International Airport is being built on an artificial island in Ganjingzi District to replace it. Source: "Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport" by Wikipedia contributors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalian_Zhoushuizi_International_Airport), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Edit history on the linked Wikipedia page.
Overview
Zhoushuizi Airport is the main commercial airport for Dalian, China. Its IATA code is DLC and its ICAO code is ZYTL. The clocks here run on Asia/Shanghai, the runway sits about 107 ft above sea level, and the airport is a large international gateway, with around 140 scheduled departure pairs in the public OpenFlights schedule plus onward connections through partner airlines.
Terminals and concourses
Most travellers will pass through one of a handful of terminal areas at Zhoushuizi Airport. Bigger fields tend to split domestic and international traffic into separate halls, each with its own arrivals area, immigration counters, customs and a landside check-in concourse. Signage is bilingual wherever the local language and English share the airport, and walking between terminals at Dalian's main gateway is usually possible on foot. Where the aprons stretch more than a kilometre, a shuttle bus or an automated people mover takes over.
Lounges and amenities
Lounge options at Zhoushuizi Airport match what you would expect from a large international gateway. There is normally at least one airline-run lounge for premium-cabin passengers and elite-status flyers, plus an independent or contract lounge that sells day passes and accepts programmes like Priority Pass, DragonPass, Plaza Premium and LoungeKey. Inside, you can usually count on hot food, espresso, charging at every seat, decent Wi-Fi, and showers at the busier terminals. Quiet zones, prayer rooms and family areas tend to sit landside near check-in.
Getting to and from the airport
Getting between Zhoushuizi Airport and central Dalian is straightforward. Licensed taxis queue at marked curbs outside arrivals, with metered or zoned fares posted at the rank. Ride-hail apps have a designated pickup point, often one level up at departures or in a nearby lot. Public transport varies by city. A primary gateway like this one almost always offers an express train, a metro line or a dedicated airport bus running from before the first wave of departures until after the last arrival. Long-stay parking, rental car desks and hotel shuttle stops are clustered together on the landside.
Tips for travellers
A few things worth knowing for Zhoushuizi Airport. Aim to arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international one, especially during peak banks. Local time is Asia/Shanghai, so plan your transfers around the time difference if you are coming in from another zone. Save a screenshot of your boarding pass before you leave the house, since terminal Wi-Fi is hit and miss when it gets busy. If you are connecting on a partner airline, check whether your bag is tagged through to the final destination, because Zhoushuizi Airport handles a mix of in-terminal and inter-terminal connections. With 139 direct destinations on the public schedule, this is a useful node for both point-to-point trips and onward connections across China and the wider region.
More guides for DLC
Four extra pages dig deeper into lounges, layovers, getting to and from the airport, and the terminal layout itself. Open whichever one matches the problem in front of you.
Lounges at DLC
lounges
LAYOVERLayover at DLC
layover guide
TRANSPORTTransport at DLC
ground transport
TERMINALSTerminals at DLC
terminals and gates
Direct destinations from DLC
These are the cities you can fly to nonstop from Zhoushuizi Airport, based on the published schedule. Tap any one to open its own terminal, lounge and route guide.
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
Hangzhou, China
TSNTianjin Binhai International Airport
Tianjin, China
PVGShanghai Pudong International Airport
Shanghai, China
TNAYaoqiang Airport
Jinan, China
CGOZhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport
Zhengzhou, China
PEKBeijing Capital International Airport
Beijing, China
NKGNanjing Lukou Airport
Nanjing, China
NRTNarita International Airport
Tokyo, Japan
TAOLiuting Airport
Qingdao, China
XIYXi'an Xianyang International Airport
Xi'an, China
WUHWuhan Tianhe International Airport
Wuhan, China
TPETaiwan Taoyuan International Airport
Taipei, Taiwan
ICNIncheon International Airport
Seoul, South Korea
TYNTaiyuan Wusu Airport
Taiyuan, China
NGBNingbo Lishe International Airport
Ninbo, China
HRBTaiping Airport
Harbin, China
HFEHefei Luogang International Airport
Hefei, China
KIXKansai International Airport
Osaka, Japan
SZXShenzhen Bao'an International Airport
Shenzhen, China
SJWShijiazhuang Daguocun International Airport
Shijiazhuang, China
FUKFukuoka Airport
Fukuoka, Japan
HIJHiroshima Airport
Hiroshima, Japan
HKGHong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong
WUXSunan Shuofang International Airport
Wuxi, China
LYGLianyungang Airport
Lianyungang, China