Urumqi Tianshan (URC): terminal 4, the free shuttle to the metro, and the two hour clock
Every flight uses terminal 4 since April 2025. The metro station is still at the old terminals, and a free shuttle connects them. Beijing time is the official time here.
- All flights use terminal 4. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 closed for rebuilding on 17 April 2025.
- The metro station is still at the old terminal area, not at terminal 4.
- A free shuttle links terminal 4 with the metro, running roughly 07:40 to 23:30, which is also when the metro runs.
- Metro line 1 runs between the airport and Santunbei, about 27.5 km and 21 stations.
- The metro fare is reported between 6 and 7 yuan and the ride at about 50 minutes, so budget over an hour once the shuttle is added.
- The airport coach costs a reported 15 to 20 yuan and calls at Red Hill, South Youhao Road, Nianzigou bus station and the railway station.
- City bus routes 27, 51 and 535 serve the airport, running about 07:30 to 23:30, at 1 yuan and 1.5 yuan after 22:00.
- A taxi to the centre is reported between 30 and 50 yuan, about 30 minutes.
- The whole of China runs on Beijing time, so an 08:00 flight from Urumqi leaves in what feels like the middle of the night.
- Xinjiang runs identity checks that other Chinese provinces do not. Allow more time than the flight time suggests.
The terminal, which changed in 2025
- Terminals 1, 2 and 3 closed on 17 April 2025 for rebuilding, and terminal 4 opened the same day.
- Every flight now uses terminal 4. Any guide, map or booking confirmation that still names T2 or T3 is out of date.
- Terminal 4 is a very large building and the walk from the far gates to the exit is long. Treat it as a big airport, not a provincial one.
Getting to the metro
- Metro line 1's airport station is at the old terminal area, which terminal 4 replaced but does not sit on top of.
- A free shuttle covers the gap, running in the same window as the metro, roughly 07:40 to 23:30.
- This is the single thing to get right on arrival. Walking out of terminal 4 looking for a metro entrance does not work; you take the shuttle first.
The metro
- Line 1 runs between the airport and Santunbei, about 27.5 km over 21 stations.
- It runs from about 07:40 to 23:30. An early morning flight is therefore a taxi, not a metro ride.
- The fare is reported as 6 or 7 yuan depending on the guide and the journey at about 50 minutes. Add the shuttle and the change, and an hour and a quarter is a fair allowance.
The coach and the city buses
- The airport coach runs into the centre by way of Red Hill, South Youhao Road, Nianzigou bus station and the railway station.
- Its fare is reported as 15 yuan by one guide and 20 by another, so carry a little more than you expect to need.
- Its hours change with the season: roughly 06:30 to 23:00 in summer and 07:30 to 22:20 in winter, which matters in a city this far north.
- City buses 27, 51 and 535 also call at the airport, running about 07:30 to 23:30 at 1 yuan, or 1.5 yuan after 22:00. They are the cheapest way out and the slowest.
Two things about Urumqi itself
- China keeps one time zone. Urumqi is roughly two hours west of Beijing in solar terms but its clocks read Beijing time, so the sun rises and sets very late by the clock. Flight times, bus times and everything on this page are Beijing time.
- Xinjiang applies identity and security checks that the rest of China does not, at the airport and at road checkpoints. Carry your passport at all times and allow more margin than the distance suggests.
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