Hongqiao
Airport (SHA)
Tel: (21) 6268 8899. Fax: (21) 6269 0027.
Web site: www.shanghaiairport.com
(Chinese only).
Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport
is Shanghai’s former main airport, now supplemented by Pudong
Airport, which will become the new centre for international traffic.
Traffic coming from Hong Kong, however – in theory a ‘domestic’
destination – still routes through Honqiao. Official plans
were for all of Hongqiao’s international traffic to be routed
to Pudong by October 2002. The airport is located 18km (11 miles)
southwest of central Shanghai, about a 1/2-hour taxi ride away.
Major airlines
Air China (tel: (21) 6269 2999) is the national airline.
Domestic airlines include China Eastern Airlines (tel: (21) 6468
1166), China Northern Airlines (tel: (21) 6601 7594), China Southern
Airlines (tel: (21) 6553 3623)China Northwest Airlines (tel: (21)
6601 7589), and China Southwest Airlines (tel: (21) 6601 7579).
Airport facilities
Banks, bureaux de change, post office, ATMs, luggage lockers, Angel
Car Rental car hire, duty free and other shops, restaurants, cafés,
and tourist information. There are also hotel booking services.
keep in mind that, the standard of the facilities show the airport’s
age in comparison to Pudong Airport, particularly when passengers
are trapped inside it by the all-too-frequent flight delays.
Business facilities
Hongqiao Airport contains a business centre with fax and telex facilities
and Internet access. The Shanghai
International Airport Hotel (tel: (21) 6268 8888) has 24-hour
business facilities and meeting rooms, telephones, photocopying,
fax, and telex services. There are also VIP lounges.
Transport
to the city
Four public bus routes operate from Hongqiao to
central Shanghai (see Public Transport section in Getting Around).
Also, a blue and white airport shuttle bus departs from outside
the domestic arrivals. Shanghai Airport Bus Co.
and the Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corporation run shuttle
buses, which leave every 1/2 hour 06:00-21:00 (journey
time – 30 minutes). space for Luggage is limited. The fare
is RMB4-7, tickets are sold on the bus. Transfer buses to Pudong
Airport depart from outside domestic arrivals every 1/2 hour 06:00-21:00
(journey time – 1 hour). The fare is RMB30. Additional information
is available from Airport Shuttle Bus Services (tel:
(21) 6834 6912 or 6645).
Metered taxis
operate from the airport and are best taken from the main taxi stand
in front of the domestic arrivals hall, thus avoiding touts. The
fare is about RMB65 to central Shanghai, including toll fees (journey
time – 1/2 hour). It is a good idea for tourists either to
have the destination written in Chinese or a map handy.
Pudong Airport (PVG)
Tel: (21) 6834 1000. Fax: (21) 6834 2735.
Web site: www.shanghaiairport.com
(Chinese only).
Pudong Airport is situated
30km (19 miles) southeast of Shanghai, on the East China Sea coast.
Opened on 1 October 1999, Pudong Airport is Shanghai’s new
international centre and is anticipating 20 million passengers each
year during its first phase, eventually reaching a capacity of 80
million by 2005. The downside for this modernity is that Pudong
is much further from central Shanghai than Hongqiao Airport is –
driving times average 1 hour. This distance is one reason why Pudong
Airport is due to get the prestige flagship project of a magnetic
levitation shuttle linking it to central Shanghai. This is scheduled
for completion in 2004.
Major
airlines
Air
China (tel: (21) 6269 2999) operates flights to and from Pudong.
Most other domestic carriers also serve the airport, including China
Northwest Airlines (tel: (21) 6601 7589), China Eastern Airlines
(tel: (21) 6468 1166), China Northern Airlines (tel: (21) 6601 7594),China
Southern Airlines (tel: (21) 6553 3623) and China Southwest Airlines
(tel: (21) 6601 7579). Additional major carriers include Air France,
All British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Nippon Airways, Korean Air,
Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Malaysian Airlines,
Singapore Airlines, Northwest Airlines, SAS, Qantas, Thai International,
United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airlines.
Airport
facilities
Facilities include ATMs, banks, post offices, bureaux de change,
Angel Car Rental, restaurants and tourist information. There are
also hotel reservation services, left-luggage, souvenir stalls,
shops, cafés and public telephones.
Business
facilities
The Pudong Airport Hotel (tel: (21) 6834 5092), situated on the
airport site, provides 24-hour business facilities, including meeting
rooms, telephone, photocopying and fax facilities. Catering services
are also available. VIP lounges and Internet bars are located within
the airport.
Transport to the
city
Shanghai Airport Bus Co. and
the Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corporation shuttle
buses leaves every 1/2 hour 06:00-21:00 (journey time –
60-90 minutes) from in front of the arrivals hall, between doors
7 to 15. There are five Bus routes into the city, with only route
five going to Pudong itself. The other routes go to Gongzhufen in
western Beijing and to Zhongguancun in the northwest district. The
fare is RMB15-20, tickets are sold inside the bus. Transfer buses
to Hongqiao Airport cost RMB22 and leave every 1/2 hour 06:00-21:00.
Additional information is available from Airport Shuttle
Bus Services (tel: (21) 6834 6912 or 6645).
Metered taxis also operate from the airport – the fare to
central Shanghai is about RMB170 (journey time – 60-90 minutes).
Approximate flight times
To Shanghai
from:
 London:
11 hours
New
York: 22 hours
Los
Angeles: 16 hours
Toronto:
16 hours
Sydney: 10 hours
Departure tax
A RMB90 (international flights) or RMB50 (domestic flights) ‘construction
fee’ must be paid in cash at both airports (only Chinese currency
is accepted). There is no charge for children younger than 12 years
old. |
