Quick answer

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport is TFU (成都天府国际机场). It sits far southeast of downtown—do not confuse it with Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU). For most daytime arrivals, take Metro Line 18 from the station Tianfu International Airport T1 & T2 (天府机场1号2号航站楼) in the Ground Transportation Center (GTC) toward Chengdu South Railway Station (火车南站) (about CNY 10). Prefer an express train when the platform screen shows one (~37 minutes vs ~44 minutes on the regular stopping service). Official taxi pickup is outside Gate G04 on the T2–GTC connection (airport English pages still list T1 Gate G02 as not yet opened). Online ride-hailing uses Parking Building 1 / 2, Level 1 pickup areas. Confirm live last-train times before you skip the taxi queue.

If this happens, do this

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Situation What to do next
You want the metro into the city Follow Metro / 地铁 signs into the GTC to Tianfu International Airport T1 & T2 on Line 18—not Shuangliu Airport stations on Line 10.
The screen says express vs regular Same fare to Chengdu South. Board the express when available for fewer stops (~37 minutes vs ~44).
You land after the last metro Use the official taxi queue (Gate G04 for T2) or ride-hailing at the signed parking pickup areas; airport shuttle buses also run overnight routes (higher night fare on some lines).
Your booking says “Chengdu Airport” only Check the code: TFU = Tianfu; CTU = Shuangliu. Wrong airport can cost an hour-plus transfer.
You want to tap a foreign bank card Chengdu Metro contactless gates accept eligible overseas UnionPay / Visa / Mastercard / AmEx (from 28 July 2025) plus Diners Club / Discover (from June 2026); enable contactless and small-value PIN-free payments.

See also the China Airport to City Guide.

Confirm you are at TFU (not Shuangliu CTU)

TFU is in Jianyang / the southeast airport cluster, roughly 50 km from central Chengdu. CTU (Shuangliu) is a different, closer airport with its own Metro Line 10. Many domestic flights still use CTU.

Before you leave arrivals:

  1. Confirm the airport code TFU on your boarding pass or bag tag.
  2. Note your terminal: published airport guides commonly place international operations in T1 and domestic in T2—follow live terminal screens.
  3. Follow signs to the Ground Transportation Center (GTC) for metro, taxis, ride-hailing and airport buses. A free APM links T1 and T2 when you need to change buildings.
  4. Save your hotel’s Chinese name, full address and phone number.

Compare the main options

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Option Useful when Check before choosing
Metro Line 18 (T1 & T2 station) Daytime, manageable luggage, hotel near Line 18 / Line 1 after transfer at Chengdu South First/last trains ~06:00–23:30; express vs regular on the platform screen
Official taxi (Gate G04 / follow signs) Late arrival, heavy bags, door-to-door Signed official queue; meter on; Chinese hotel address; highway tolls may apply
Ride-hailing (parking pickup) App and payment already work In-app pin at Parking Building 1 or 2 Level 1; do not follow curb solicitations
Airport shuttle bus After metro hours, or fixed downtown stops (e.g. Chunxi Road / East Station) Boarding at T1–GTC Gate G01 / T2–GTC Gate G03; day vs night fare

Metro Line 18 from Tianfu Airport

Official Chengdu Tianfu Airport English metro pages place the Line 18 entrance in the GTC north transfer hall (Chinese pages: GTC L1 transfer hall). Build walking time from arrivals into last-train planning.

Station name: Tianfu International Airport T1 & T2 (天府机场1号2号航站楼).
Do not confuse with: Tianfu International Airport North (天府机场北) further along the same line, or Shuangliu Airport stations on Line 10.

Direction into the city

Ride Line 18 toward Chengdu South Railway Station (火车南站). From Chengdu South, transfer (commonly to Line 1) for Tianfu Square / Chunxi Road–area hotels. Check the platform screen for the live terminus and whether the next train is express or regular.

Published planning baseline from the airport’s English metro page (recheck on the day via station boards or Chengdu Metro):

  • Service window for Line 18 airport service: about 06:00–23:30.
  • Chengdu South → Tianfu Airport T1 & T2: about CNY 10; same band to Airport North.
  • Regular stopping service: about 44 minutes to T1 & T2.
  • Express service (fewer stops): about 37 minutes to T1 & T2.

Chengdu Metro service hotline published with the airport pages: +86-28-61638000.

How to pay

You do not need a local Chinese bank account for basic metro entry if one of these works:

  1. Contactless overseas bank card — Chengdu Metro / Xinhua coverage dated 28 July 2025 launched network-wide tap-and-go for UnionPay and overseas Visa / Mastercard / American Express. A June 2026 Chengdu media update added Diners Club and Discover. Enable contactless and small-value PIN-free payments; use the same card to exit.
  2. Alipay or WeChat Pay metro ride code — If your visitor wallet already works, open the Chengdu metro QR and scan at the gate reader. Use the same phone/account to exit.
  3. Ticket machines / customer service — Fallback if card tap or QR fails.

See also Take the subway in China and Metro QR codes in China.

Official taxi and ride-hailing

Per Chengdu Tianfu Airport English ground-transport pages:

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Mode Pickup
Taxi Ground floor outside Gate G04 (T2–Transportation Center connection). The same pages still list T1 Gate G02 as not yet opened—follow live airport signs if you arrive at T1.
Online ride-hailing Pickup Area 1, Level 1 of Parking Building 1; Pickup Area 2, Level 1 of Parking Building 2.

Within Chengdu’s administrative area, the airport English taxi page states trips are metered with no empty-return surcharge. We do not publish a fixed yuan price to Chunxi Road here—distance, traffic, time of day and expressway tolls vary. Join the signed queue. Ask for the meter. Show a Chinese hotel address. Ignore anyone inside arrivals offering an unofficial car.

If you use DiDi, see How to use DiDi in China.

Airport shuttle after metro hours

Airport special-line boarding is published as ground floor outside Gate G01 (T1–Transportation Center connection) and Gate G03 (T2–Transportation Center connection). Official English route tables list Line 1 toward Chengdu East Railway Station and Chunxi Road with daytime fare CNY 15 (06:00–23:30) and overnight CNY 25 (23:30–06:00) on that corridor—confirm the destination stop on the ticket board before boarding.

Before leaving arrivals

  1. Confirm TFU (not CTU), then follow GTC signs.
  2. Save the hotel’s Chinese name, full address and phone.
  3. Decide metro, taxi (Gate G04 / signs) or ride-hailing (parking pickup) before you leave the secure area when possible.
  4. For metro: walk to Tianfu International Airport T1 & T2 on Line 18—watch for express vs regular.
  5. Keep a payment backup (contactless card, wallet app or modest cash).
  6. If you land very late, see Late-night arrival at a China airport and What to do in the first 2 hours after landing.

FAQ

Is TFU the same as Shuangliu Airport?

No. TFU is Tianfu International Airport. CTU is Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, closer to the city, with Metro Line 10. Always check the three-letter code on your ticket.

How much is Line 18 from the airport to Chengdu South?

Official airport metro fare information lists CNY 10 from Chengdu South Railway Station to Tianfu International Airport T1 & T2 (and the same band to Airport North). Recheck machines or the Chengdu Metro app on travel day.

Can I tap a foreign Visa or Mastercard on Chengdu Metro?

Yes for eligible contactless cards, according to Xinhua / Chengdu Metro coverage dated 28 July 2025 (UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express network-wide), with Diners Club and Discover added in a June 2026 Chengdu media update. Keep a backup method.

Where is the official taxi queue?

Airport English pages: ground floor outside Gate G04 on the T2–Transportation Center connection. T1 Gate G02 is listed as not yet opened—follow live signs.

Where do ride-hailing cars pick up?

Parking Building 1 and Parking Building 2, Level 1 pickup areas, per the airport English online car-hailing page.

Disclaimer

App interfaces, payment rules, station practices, hotel policies and local procedures may change. Treat this guide as a source-checked practical guide, then verify important details with the official service, your hotel, transport staff or your card issuer before relying on it in an urgent situation.

Sources and review

Sources reviewed on 2026-10-31. These sources support the service or policy facts; the practical fallback steps are editorial guidance. This is not a recorded field test.