At 10:08 AM on November 29, the roar of engines pierced the sky as Shenzhen Airlines Flight ZH9103 successfully took off from Shenzhen Airport’s third runway. Only five minutes later, China Southern Airlines Flight CZ3590 landed smoothly on the same runway. This marked the official commissioning of Shenzhen Airport’s third runway.
Located between the existing second runway and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Riverside Expressway, the third runway stretches 3,600 meters in length and 45 meters in width, with a flight area grade of 4F—the highest international standard—capable of accommodating all types of large aircraft, including the Airbus A380. After completing reclamation and soft soil foundation treatment in June 2024, the project achieved full connectivity of the main runway in just 98 days, and successfully completed key milestones such as calibration flights, test flights with actual aircraft, and final acceptance ahead of schedule in 2025.
“I am extremely excited—this successful inaugural flight is the best reward for all the preliminary preparations!” On the same day, Shenzhen Airlines dispatched its A330 “Shenzhen” special-painted aircraft for the maiden flight. Captain Li Dayu stated that during takeoff and landing, the third runway’s navigation lighting system acted like a “third eye,” working in tandem with advanced high-precision navigation systems to ensure flight safety for the crew even in complex weather conditions.
Zhu Fanghai, Executive Deputy Commander of the Shenzhen Airport Construction Headquarters, noted that the third runway strictly adheres to international advanced standards. Its surface has been treated with special craftsmanship to significantly enhance friction coefficient, improving the takeoff and landing safety margin of large aircraft under various climatic conditions. Additionally, the runway proactively incorporates an FOD (Foreign Object Debris) detection system and a runway status light control system, further strengthening the line of defense for flight safety.
Shenzhen Airport’s first runway was put into use in 1991 when the airport opened, and the second runway was commissioned in 2011. Prior to the third runway’s operation, Shenzhen Airport was one of the busiest dual-runway airports in China, with a maximum annual flight handling capacity of 428,000 sorties and a single-day peak of over 1,300 sorties.
According to relevant responsible persons at Shenzhen Airport, after commissioning, the third runway will operate in coordination with the existing two runways, supporting 8 north-south bidirectional operation modes. This will effectively divert takeoff and landing flights, creating favorable conditions for opening more passenger and cargo routes and increasing aviation capacity. It is reported that Shenzhen Airport’s passenger throughput exceeded 60 million for the first time in 2024, and is expected to reach 65 million in 2025, while cargo and mail throughput will cross the 2 million-ton mark for the first time. The opening of the third runway lays the foundation for the airport’s further expansion.
In addition to the third runway, the T2 Terminal Area, North Cargo Area, and supporting facilities project of Shenzhen Airport broke ground in August this year. The airport is accelerating the construction of a “3+3+3+1” infrastructure layout, consisting of three terminal areas, three cargo areas, three runways, and one satellite terminal. In the future, it will be able to meet the annual demand of 80 million passengers and 4.5 million tons of cargo and mail, better serving the development of air logistics, international trade, tourism, and high-end manufacturing in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
