Nanjing Lukou International Airport

Nanjing Lukou International is Jiangsu Province's primary airport and the main aviation gateway for the Yangtze River Delta's western half, handling 23.0M passengers (2023). Its position 35 km south of Nanjing places it within the economic gravitational field of Shanghai's two larger airports (PVG, SHA) — a rivalry that has shaped NKG's strategy as a specialist secondary hub focused on domestic point-to-point capacity rather than trans-Pacific transit. China Eastern operates the largest base at NKG through its regional subsidiary, with significant operations from Shenzhen Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Juneyao, Spring Airlines, and Air China. International coverage focuses on Northeast Asia (Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei) and Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City), with long-haul service to Frankfurt, Los Angeles, and Milan restored or expanded since 2023. Across 51 airlines the airport serves 111 destinations on 302 scheduled routes. Two parallel runways handle movements: 06/24 at 11,811 ft (3,600 m) and 07/25 at 11,810 ft (3,600 m), supporting simultaneous independent operations. Terminal 1 (refurbished 2014) and Terminal 2 (opened 2014) share a single airside with 76 gates across a combined 418,000 sq m (4.5M sq ft) footprint. A Phase 3 expansion approved 2021 adds a third runway of 12,467 ft (3,800 m) and Terminal 3 by 2027, targeting 60M annual passengers and transforming NKG into a dedicated international-cargo hub complementing Shanghai's saturated freight gateways. The airport sits at 49 ft (15 m) elevation on a 3,600-hectare site and hosts a significant cargo operation for SF Express and FedEx.