CTU · Chengdu’s older mostly-domestic airport (33.52M passengers in 2025) with Metro Line 10 and Air China/Sichuan hubs. Long-haul is usually Tianfu. Star Alliance Gold uses the Air China T2 lounge — Sichuan Airlines is not Star Alliance. Priority Pass is spa credit, not a food lounge.
TFU · Chengdu’s newer, farther hub: 56.69 million passengers in 2025, T1/T2 split with a free APM, Metro 18/19 plus high-speed rail, and a two-airport trap with Shuangliu. Priority Pass is a MU-only domestic room plus nap cabins — not a generic T1 buffet.
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
CTU6.2
TFU7.2+1.0
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
CTU7.8+0.2
TFU7.6
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
CTU6.5
TFU7.0+0.5
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
CTU6.4
TFU6.6+0.2
Long-haul and most international Chengdu flightsCheap Metro 18 / 19 plus high-speed railCity-price 7-Eleven / FamilyMart on T2 landside
TFU vs CTU on the ticket — CX/BR/CI/NX moved back to Shuangliu in late July 202650 km from downtown; last high-speed trains are not a 24-hour metroPriority Pass cannot reach T1 international unless you have MU/FM/KN domestic metalWikipedia leftover T3 / 28 Oct 2026 runway opening is false
Family areas
Arrive 2 hours early for domestic
Security and boarding can queue quickly during peaks.
Confirm CTU vs TFU, then T1 vs T2
T1 Sichuan domestic; T2 Air China and mixed. Many flights now use TFU.
Eat landside in T2 before security
Limited hot options airside; landside is better value.
TFU
Metro 18 / 19 under the GTCT2 7-Eleven / FamilyMartFree T1–T2 APM饮水间 on every floorTake a Nap cabinsSSID Free Wi-Fi at Tianfu International Airport
Check TFU vs CTU before you leave town
The airports are ~50 km apart. CX, BR, CI, NX and some CA/3U HKG–TPE flights sit at CTU T1 from late July 2026.
T1 international, T2 domestic, free APM
Ride the B2 APM (L2 entrance) instead of the 500 m walk. Landside 05:00–00:45, airside 05:00–02:15.
7-Eleven and FamilyMart beat the food court
A 12 Aug 2026 T2 walk leftover-prints city-price 711 at security and FamilyMart on 2F, versus ¥30+ noodles upstairs.
