Yichang Sanxia Airport

机About this airport

Yichang Sanxia Airport serves Yichang in western Hubei province, the city at the eastern gate of the Three Gorges. The Yangtze River exits the Three Gorges section (Xiling, Wu, and Qutang gorges) at Yichang and broadens into the middle Yangtze plain — the city is therefore the downstream terminus for Three Gorges cruise itineraries and the upstream reference point for the dam that changed the character of the river permanently.

The Three Gorges Dam — at 2,335 metres wide and 185 metres tall, the world's largest hydroelectric power station by installed capacity — sits approximately 40 km upstream from Yichang city. The visitor centre on the dam complex allows observation of the five-step ship lock system (each chamber 280 m long and 35 m wide, used to allow river traffic to ascend 113 metres between the tail water and the reservoir), the spillway structure, and the generating hall. The dam's reservoir, which extends 600 km upstream to Chongqing, flooded over 1,000 archaeological sites and required the relocation of approximately 1.3 million people — the largest forced resettlement associated with any single infrastructure project. The landscape of the Three Gorges themselves, while still impressive, is notably different from pre-dam conditions: water levels are higher, the cliff faces now rise from a broader, slower river, and many of the smaller gorge features have been submerged.

Three Gorges cruises depart from Yichang upstream or Chongqing downstream, covering the gorges over three to five days. Several cruise lines operate dedicated vessels; the experience combines the gorge scenery with stops at the Shennong Stream tributary (accessible by flat-bottom sampan), the Fengdu Ghost City, and the Three Gorges Dam itself.

The Shennongjia Forestry District is approximately 200 km northwest by road — a World Heritage natural site (2016) with primary forest, rare wildlife including the Shennongjia golden monkey, and significant endemic plant species. This gives Yichang a dual role as base for both Yangtze river tourism and highland wilderness.

Flights connect to major domestic destinations [VERIFY: current routes — May 2026]. High-speed rail connects to Wuhan in approximately 2 hours. The Yichang-Wanzhou mountain railway crosses the Daba range via engineering-intensive tunnels and bridges, providing a railway route westward into Chongqing and the Sichuan basin.

The airport terminal is a single building with limited food and no Priority Pass lounge. Airport Express Bus to the city takes approximately 30 minutes (CNY 20); taxis cost approximately CNY 50–70 [VERIFY: current fares — May 2026]. Most Three Gorges cruise bookings include hotel pickup rather than airport transfer, as the majority of cruise passengers are routed through the city centre terminals.

For independent visitors planning a Three Gorges cruise, Yichang functions as either the start point (cruising west/upstream to Chongqing over 4–5 days) or the end point (east-bound, from Chongqing downstream). The downstream direction is more commonly chosen — it follows the current and allows the gorges to build toward the grand Qutang gorge — while the upstream direction gives more time within each gorge section. Both directions include a transit through the ship lock system of the Three Gorges Dam, which is one of the more unusual engineering experiences available on a commercial cruise itinerary.