Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport

About Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport — formerly Shenzhen Huangtian Airport — is an international airport serving the city of Shenzhen in South Central China's Guangdong province. It is on the east bank of the Pearl River in Bao'an District, 32 km (20 mi) northwest of the city centre. It is a hub for Shenzhen Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Donghai Airlines and for cargo airline SF Airlines while serving as a focus city for Hainan Airlines. The airport also serves as an Asian-Pacific cargo hub for UPS Airlines. The airport underwent major expansions in the 2010s, with a second runway opening in 2011, and a new terminal in 2013. On 29 November 2025, a third runway officially opened. Source: "Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport" by Wikipedia contributors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen_Bao'an_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

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport is the main commercial airport for Shenzhen, China. Its IATA code is SZX and its ICAO code is ZGSZ. The clocks here run on Asia/Shanghai, the runway sits about 13 ft above sea level, and the airport is a large international gateway, with around 232 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 Shenzhen Bao'an International 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 Shenzhen'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 Shenzhen Bao'an International 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 Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and central Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen Bao'an International 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 Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport handles a mix of in-terminal and inter-terminal connections. With 232 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 SZX

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.

Direct destinations from SZX

These are the cities you can fly to nonstop from Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, based on the published schedule. Tap any one to open its own terminal, lounge and route guide.