Just wondering if anybody knows what the latest is with flights into and out of Kunming? I will be flying back in on a connectting flight from Beijing on March 19th and then also making a weekend trip from Kunming out to HK a week later. Is everything still operating out of the old airport right now? The last thread I read about this a few months ago said that maybe international flights might begin operating out of the new airport with domestic flights continuing to temporarily operate out of Wujiaba. Is this still the case as far anybody knows?
On Weibo I heard they hope to open it end of May!
-> www.weibo.com/2094215167/y5giXBfl4
but you never know... friends visited it and it looked basically finished...
The website for the new airport is:
www.newkma.com/
Until late this week it was up and showing pictures and lots of info in Chinese, but as of yesterday it appears to be down.
Hopefully it'll come back up soon with an opening date.
End of May, maybe?
Here are some recent articles:
First test flight was Feb 17; calibrating the Instrument Landing System (ILS):
en.kunming.cn/index/content/2012-02/20/content_2846193.htm
Based on when the civil aviation authority revises its routes, they're hoping that it will be open by the end of May: news.kunming.cn/travel/content/2012-02/13/content_2836853.htm
3 bus routes to the new airport: 25 RMB, runs every 30 mins from 0500 to 2200, 15 mins at peak travel times. From the railway station, fortune center in beichen, and xiaoximen:
news.kunming.cn/km-news/content/2012-01/21/content_2816651.htm
Unofficially, I've been asking everyone I can— a taxi driver says next year, and an immigration officer says "long time".
Thanks for the info. I was mostly just checking to be sure I wouldn't run into anything weird this trip in March and that seems to be confirmed. I'm typically in Yunnan up to six months per year and am certainly looking forward to the new airport, but only when the transportation to and from the city is actually good considering the new distance. Considering its China, I expect that intially, there will be a lot of disorganization getting to and from the new location. Once the subway is finished things should be good. Wujiaba is fine by taxi, but that's a longways for a cab out to Changshui.
No buses after 22:00? That means a taxi's the only transportation option. I wonder how much that will cost? Maybe they'll be minivans which pool passengers for less like at the long distance bus stations after hours.
www.newkma.com/
is back up again, with a neat little video, too
I hear that June 28 is the big day,,as is set now,,anyway,,,
