Terminal 5 of Xi’an airport officially opened

On 20 February 2025, the third-phase expansion of Xi’an Xianyang International airport’s Terminal 5 officially started operations, boosting aviation hub development in the Northwest of China.

Horsten is already doing business in and with China since 1996, building on the long term China experience of its founder Joos Horsten, the man behind the successful joint venture of Janssen Pharmaceutical in China. Xi’an-Janssen is based in Xi’an, capital of the Shaanxi Province and one of the first joint ventures in China, set up in the mid-eighties. Since 2001 Horsten Xi’an Innovation Co. Ltd, the China office of Horsten International, is located in Xi’an, capital of the Shaanxi Province. As most of China followers will know, Xi’an is a famous historical city in China. Xi’an is the oldest of the four ancient capitals of China, home to 13 dynasties, the Terracotta Army, the starting point of the Silk Road and the first city in the world to reach one million people in population.

With a total investment of 19,6 billion yuan, Terminal 5 covers a construction area of about 700.000 square meters, more than double the combined area of the existing Terminals 1, 2, and 3. The new terminal is designed to handle an annual passenger throughput of 50 million, including 10 million international and regional passengers, meeting travel demands projected for 2045.

Terminal 5 adopts a ‘main building plus concourses’ layout, featuring 126 contact stands and 54 remote stands, capable of accommodating all aircraft types, including the Airbus A380. The terminal includes 80.000 square meters of commercial space, offering a variety of dining, retail, and leisure options to provide passengers with a one-stop shopping experience.

As a model of smart airport development, Terminal 5 extensively utilizes facial recognition, self-service check-in, and self-service baggage drop facilities, enabling fully automated passenger clearance and significantly improving travel efficiency. Additionally, the terminal is equipped with an advanced baggage handling system capable of processing 12.000 pieces of luggage per hour, ensuring safe and efficient baggage transportation.  The completion of Terminal 5 will effectively alleviate flight operation pressures and meet the future demand for an annual passenger throughput of 83 million.

The opening of Terminal 5 further enhances the comprehensive operational capacity of Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, strengthen Xi’an’s role as a national central city in driving regional development, and inject new vitality into the high-quality economic and social development of Northwest China. In the future, Xi’an Xianyang International Airport will continue to uphold the philosophy of ‘safety first, service foremost’, continuously improving operational management to provide passengers with higher-quality and more efficient aviation services, supporting Xi’an’s goal of becoming an international aviation hub and an inland hub for reform and opening-up.

Terminal 5 adopts a ‘dual-level departure and dual-level arrival’ passenger flow organization model, enabling domestic and international departing passengers to depart on the same level without the need to switch floors, significantly improving transit efficiency. Additionally, Terminal 5 features a dedicated museum that showcases a selection of artifacts unearthed during archaeological excavations in Shaanxi Province.

Xi’an Xianyang international airport is the largest aviation hub in Northwest China.  In 2024, Xi’an Xianyang International Airport handled a passenger throughput of 47.039 million, facilitated 331.800 flight takeoffs and landings, and achieved a cargo and mail throughput of 290.500 tons.  Currently, the airport operates more than 300 domestic and international routes, connecting to over 150 cities, and has initially established a route network that covers the nation and reaches across the globe.

Horsten International has a lot of experience in doing business in China, and we are convinced that, with the further development of China’s 2nd and 3rd cities, the location of our office in Xi’an certainly remains a good place to be in China. The Belt and Road Initiative has transformed Xi’an into a manufacturing and service hub as well as a hot spot in attracting foreign direct investment. Xi’an has increased international communication and built a modern logistics model as well as improving education to cultivate talented people and make an innovation drive to the economy.