Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY)

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (西安咸阳国际机场, XIY) handles almost every flight into the region. It runs a cluster of terminals: T1, T2 and T3 sit together (served by the Airport West / 机场西 metro station), and the newer T5 has its own Line 14 stop one stop east. Check your boarding pass or airline before landing — international flights and some domestic carriers shifted with the T5 opening.

A free shuttle runs between the T1/T2/T3 cluster and T5 every 10–15 minutes (about a 15–20 minute ride); Metro Line 14 also connects them directly.

Metro Line 14 is the best default. It runs from the airport (Airport West for T1/T2/T3, or Airport T5) roughly 06:00–23:00, takes about 40 minutes to the city-centre transfer points, and costs around ¥7 to Xi'an North station. Transfer there to Line 2 (straight to the Bell Tower area) or Line 4. Pay by Alipay/WeChat transit code or buy a single-ride token.

Taxi / DiDi costs roughly ¥100–150 to the city centre and takes 40–60 minutes outside rush hour. Use the official taxi rank or book DiDi; ignore touts who meet arrivals.

Airport shuttle buses run to central Xi'an hotels/stations for about ¥25 — slower than the metro, useful if your hotel is on a route and you have heavy bags. See getting to Xi'an.

For departures, allow more time than the distance suggests — the airport is large, and the T1/T2/T3 ↔ T5 split has tripped up travelers who went to the wrong terminal. Aim to arrive 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 before international. Metro Line 14's last train is around 23:00, so very late arrivals or early departures may need a taxi/DiDi.