Transport · Airports · XMN
厦门高崎国际机场 · XMN / ZSAM. Xiamen's airport, home of Xiamen Airlines, serves a compact island city known for its colonial architecture on Gulangyu and the closest mainland Chinese airport to Taiwan.
About this airport
Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport serves one of China's most-visited coastal cities: a compact island municipality known for the pedestrian-only Gulangyu Island (UNESCO World Heritage Site), its well-preserved 1920s–40s colonial architecture, and a mild, humid climate that allows year-round beach activity.
Xiamen Airlines — a Fujian-based carrier that is majority-owned by China Southern — has its hub here and operates an extensive domestic network as well as routes throughout Southeast Asia and to Japan, South Korea, and Australia. The airline is known for high service standards relative to the Chinese domestic market.
Gulangyu Island, accessible by a 10-minute public ferry from Xiamen proper, is one of China's most culturally layered places: the legacy of British, American, Dutch, German, and Japanese presence between the 1840s and 1940s produced an extraordinary streetscape of mansions, churches, consulates, and piano culture (Gulangyu has more pianos per capita than any other place in China, reputedly).
The 72-hour TWOV is useful for travellers connecting between Taiwan and other Asian destinations: Xiamen has more direct cross-strait flights than any other Chinese city, and a brief transit allows a day visit to Gulangyu.
Terminals
Three terminals: T3 (international and some domestic), T4 (domestic, opened 2015). T1 and T2 are the original buildings, largely decommissioned for passenger use. A new airport on an artificial island was under planning as of 2026.
Transit to the city
Metro Line 3 connects T3/T4 to the city centre (Zhongshan Road, ferry pier) in about 35 minutes (CNY 6). Taxis to Gulangyu ferry terminal cost CNY 50–80.
Priority Pass lounges
Food
T3 and T4 have Fujian and Taiwanese-influenced food: oyster vermicelli, Xiamen soy-braised dishes, and Shacha (sand tea) noodles. The food court quality is above average for a regional Chinese airport.
Sleep options
The Crowne Plaza Xiamen is near but not connected to the airport. No airside hotel. Given the compact size of Xiamen, the city is easily accessible from the airport for layovers.
Transit visa-free rules
Xiamen holds a 72-hour TWOV for eligible nationalities. Note Xiamen's unique position as the mainland Chinese city with the most direct flights to Taiwan, making TWOV useful for Taiwan-mainland transit itineraries.