Last updated: 22 September 2026
Direct answer. Guangzhou Baiyun Airport now runs Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Terminal 3 has no metro station, so you reach it by the intercity railway to Baiyun Airport East, or by Metro Line 3 or Line 9 to Gaozeng plus a 2-yuan shuttle bus. Terminal 1 closed in May 2026 for rebuilding.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is one of China's three biggest aviation hubs, and in the space of eight months it has been rebuilt around a new terminal and a new railway station. Most English-language guides still describe the airport as it was before that change, which is why arrivals at Guangzhou go wrong more often than they should.
Two things decide your whole transfer: which terminal your flight uses, and whether you are willing to change from the metro to a shuttle bus. Work those out first and the rest of this page is mostly detail.
The airport has been a three-terminal airport since 30 October 2025, when Terminal 3 opened together with its transport centre, the airport's second expressway and a new intercity railway station.
Then the terminal map changed again. From 02:00 on 5 May 2026, eleven domestic airlines moved out of Terminal 1 into Terminal 3, and Terminal 1 closed for upgrading and stopped serving passengers. As part of the same change, the metro station Airport South and the intercity station Baiyun Airport South, both of which served Terminal 1, were taken out of service for the time being.
| Terminal | Status | How you reach it | Station to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 2 | Open | Metro Line 3, or intercity railway | Airport North (metro); Baiyun Airport North (intercity) |
| Terminal 3 | Open since 30 Oct 2025 | Intercity railway, or metro plus shuttle bus | Baiyun Airport East (intercity); Gaozeng (metro, then shuttle) |
| Terminal 1 | Closed for upgrading from 5 May 2026 | Not serving passengers | Airport South and Baiyun Airport South temporarily out of service |
The practical consequence: a guide that tells you to take the metro to "Airport South" for Terminal 1 is out of date, and a guide that sends you to Terminal 3 by metro alone is wrong as well. Check the terminal code on your ticket before you fly, and keep the airport's 24-hour service line, 020-96158, to hand.
The Guangzhou East Ring intercity line is the reason Terminal 3 works at all. Its Baiyun Airport East station sits on level B2 of the T3 transport centre, three to five minutes' walk from the terminal itself, so you ride into the terminal building rather than to a bus stop near it.
The naming is the part that catches people out. The intercity stops inside the airport are named for the terminal, not for the metro:
You can board the East Ring line at a long list of places in the city and change onto it at an interchange. The municipal and district guidance lists these metro-to-intercity pairs, and the type of change matters when you are carrying luggage:
| Metro line and station | Intercity station | Type of change |
|---|---|---|
| Line 2, 7, 22 at Guangzhou South | Panyu | Passageway transfer |
| Line 3 at Dashi | Dashi | Passageway transfer |
| Line 3 at Airport North | Baiyun Airport North | Passageway transfer |
| Line 3 at Airport South | Baiyun Airport South | Street-level transfer (station closed) |
| Line 5 at Keyun Lu | Keyun Lu | Street-level transfer |
| Line 6 at Longdong | Longdong | Street-level transfer |
| Line 8 at Pazhou | Pazhou | Street-level transfer |
| Line 11 at Pazhou | Pazhou | In-station transfer |
| Line 9 at Guangzhou North | Huadu | Passageway transfer |
| Line 14 at Zhuliao | Zhuliao | Passageway transfer |
Two fares matter. Riding the intercity between the airport terminals costs 5 yuan per trip. For the ride itself, the recommended payment is a Yangchengtong transport card, or a ticket bought in advance through 12306 or the Guangzhou Metro app; buying on the spot requires your identity document, which is worth knowing before you are standing at a counter with a suitcase.
From Terminal 3, the intercity runs to Guangzhou South in about 37 minutes when the whole East Ring route is running, and the published average interval from the airport is about 14 minutes.
If you are coming from the metro network rather than the rail network, Terminal 3 needs one extra hop. Ride Metro Line 3 or Line 9 to Gaozeng station, leave by Exit B, and change to the airport shuttle bus (the Gaozeng to T3 dedicated bus line). The single trip takes about 15 minutes, which matches the roughly six-kilometre gap between the metro line and the new terminal.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Boarding point | Gaozeng station, Exit B (Line 3 and Line 9) |
| Travel time | About 15 minutes, one way |
| Fare | 2 yuan per person per trip; Yangchengtong card or cash; senior bus cards accepted |
| Interval | Roughly every 5 to 10 minutes |
| Going back to the city | From the T3 transport centre, level 1, tourist bus hub (east coach station): about 12 minutes to Gaozeng, then Line 3 or Line 9 into the city |
Terminal 2 does not need any of this. It still has its own metro station, Airport North on Line 3, and its own intercity station next door.
The airport runs eight city bus lines from the city to Terminal 3, covering Tianhe, Yuexiu, Haizhu, Panyu, Zengcheng Xintang, Nansha, Huangpu and Liwan, and they run through to the terminal itself rather than to a metro interchange. Fares start at 19.9 yuan.
This is the option to take if you are arriving with luggage, late in the evening, or into a district that the metro-to-shuttle route does not suit. Line routings, stopping points, timetables and fares are set by the operator, so check the current list through the airport's official coach service account rather than a printed schedule.
Taxis run 24 hours from the arrival level and are metered. The airport splits the queue by distance, with short-haul and long-haul taxis boarding separately, so look for the sign for your destination rather than joining the first queue you see. Short-haul covers the airport area, Huadu and Baiyun districts; everything else in Guangzhou is the long-haul queue.
Ride-hailing works, with a dedicated pick-up area in the P12 parking building rather than the terminal kerb. If you are driving or being dropped off, the airport's rule is strict: the departure-level kerbside is drop-off only, vehicles may not wait there, and empty commercial vehicles are not allowed onto the departure level at all.
One honest caveat about the exact numbers. Different official notices, published months apart, give different gate numbers and parking levels for taxi and ride-hailing boarding. The airport adjusts these as the terminal works proceed, so treat any gate number, including the ones in this page's sources, as a starting point and follow the on-site signage when you land.
Terminal 3's transport centre is the piece of infrastructure that makes the new terminal usable: about 259,000 square metres, attached to the south side of the terminal, with rail and city transport in the basement levels, level 1 connecting to the arrivals hall for airport buses and the inter-terminal shuttle, and level 2 connecting to the departures hall.
Two details are easy to miss and both save time. First, you can check in and drop your bag inside the transport centre rather than hauling luggage into the terminal, because the station level has self-service check-in and baggage drop. Second, the parking that serves Terminal 3 is in the P11 and P12 parking buildings, which were built with about 2,800 spaces as part of the same complex, with space-finding and reverse-searching systems.
If you are driving, the recommended approach to Terminal 3 is by the airport's second expressway, and the same notice that recommends it also names the airport expressway as the alternative through the Beihu interchange and the North Second Ring road.
| Situation | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Arriving at Terminal 3, want the shortest transfer | Intercity railway to Baiyun Airport East | Station is inside the transport centre, three to five minutes from the terminal |
| Arriving at Terminal 3, coming from the metro | Line 3 or Line 9 to Gaozeng, then the shuttle bus | 2 yuan for the shuttle and about 15 minutes; no booking needed |
| Arriving at Terminal 2 | Metro Line 3 to Airport North, or the intercity | Terminal 2 still has its own metro and intercity stations |
| Heavy luggage, late arrival, or a specific district | City airport bus (eight lines) | Runs through to the terminal; fares start at 19.9 yuan |
| Two or more people with a lot of bags | Metered taxi or ride-hailing | Door-to-door, 24 hours; join the correct short-haul or long-haul queue |
| Moving between terminals | Intercity railway | 5 yuan per trip between airport terminals; the T2 to T3 shuttle is for transit passengers only |
It happens, particularly while the terminal works continue. From Terminal 2 there is a shuttle bus to Terminal 3 at the T2 transport centre's east coach station, bay 30, which takes about 25 minutes and runs around the clock. It is restricted to transit passengers, so if you are not connecting, take the intercity train, a taxi or a ride-hailing car instead.
The schedule published with the terminal change is useful for planning: between 09:00 and 23:00 the shuttle runs every 8 minutes; from 23:00 to 03:00 and from 05:00 to 09:00 every 15 minutes; and between 03:00 and 05:00 every 20 minutes.
Airport transfers in Guangzhou are in flux, and this page will date. Two items are worth re-checking before you rely on them:
Everything above comes from the government sources listed below, retrieved on 21 September 2026. Fares, intervals and boarding points on airport services are set by the operators and are revised without much notice, so confirm the detail on the day through the airport's 24-hour service line, 020-96158.
Two related decisions are worth settling before you fly. If you have not picked where to sleep yet, the area-by-area guide to Guangzhou compares the districts against the same metro and terminal logic. The equivalent transfers elsewhere in China are documented in Shanghai airport to the city and Beijing airport to the city, and the transport hub collects them. If your onward leg is by train, how to book China high-speed rail tickets covers passports, 12306 and ticket collection. And because maps, ride-hailing and metro QR codes all need a working connection, sort out mobile data for China before you land.
All sources retrieved 2026-09-21, each returned HTTP 200 when read directly. Every figure and operational claim on this page has a row below.
No. Terminal 1 closed for upgrading from 5 May 2026, when eleven domestic airlines moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3. The metro station Airport South and the intercity station Baiyun Airport South, which served Terminal 1, are temporarily out of service. Check the terminal printed on your ticket before you travel, and call the airport on 020-96158 if it is unclear.
Not yet. Terminal 3 is reached by the intercity railway, whose Baiyun Airport East station is on level B2 of the T3 transport centre and a three to five minute walk from the terminal. By metro, ride Line 3 or Line 9 to Gaozeng station, leave by Exit B and change to the airport shuttle bus, which takes about 15 minutes and costs 2 yuan.
The Gaozeng to Terminal 3 shuttle is 2 yuan per person, on top of whatever you pay for the metro. City airport buses start at 19.9 yuan. Riding the intercity between the airport terminals costs 5 yuan per trip. Taxis are metered. Treat all of these as the figures published by the operators on the dates shown in the source list, and confirm them on the day.
The intercity railway. Baiyun Airport East station is inside the T3 transport centre, so there is no bus or taxi leg between the terminal and the platform, and from Terminal 3 the line reaches Guangzhou South in about 37 minutes when the full East Ring route is running. The alternative is the metro plus shuttle route, which costs less but adds a bus connection at Gaozeng.
Both are on the arrival level. Taxis run 24 hours and are metered, and the airport separates short-haul and long-haul taxi queues, so join the queue that matches your destination. Ride-hailing cars pick up in the P12 parking building rather than at the terminal kerb. Bear in mind that the airport revises these boarding points as terminal works progress, so follow the on-site signs rather than an older guide's gate number.
All sources retrieved 22 September 2026. This page is an independent reading of the sources listed; the official pages themselves are the specification.
| Fact used on this page | Source |
|---|---|
| S1 — Terminal 1 closure and the transport changes that followed: from 02:00 on 5 May 2026 the eleven domestic carriers based at Terminal 1 all moved to Terminal 3, and Terminal 1 closed and stopped serving passengers while it is upgraded; the metro station Airport South and the intercity station Baiyun Airport South (Terminal 1) are temporarily out of service; passengers reach Terminal 3 by taking Metro Line 3 or Line 9 to Gaozeng station, leaving by Exit B and changing to the dedicated "airport line 2 branch" shuttle bus, which reaches Terminal 3 in about 15 minutes for 2 yuan and accepts a Yangchengtong card, with buses every 5 to 10 minutes; the return leg starts from the tourist bus hub (east coach station) on level 1 of the T3 transport centre, takes about 12 minutes to Gaozeng metro station and then continues by Line 3 or Line 9; the Guangzhou East Ring intercity railway runs directly to Baiyun Airport East station, which is on level B2 of the T3 transport centre and three to five minutes' walk from the terminal, with changes available at Guangzhou South, Pazhou, Keyun Lu, Longdong, Zhuliao and Airport North stations; Baiyun Airport East corresponds to Terminal 3 and Baiyun Airport North to Terminal 2; the airport runs eight city bus lines from the city to Terminal 3 covering Tianhe, Yuexiu, Haizhu, Panyu, Zengcheng Xintang, Nansha, Huangpu and Liwan, with fares from 19.9 yuan, and line, fare and timetable information is published through the airport's official coach service account; from Terminal 3, taxis are available outside gate 75 on the arrival level, operate 24 hours and are metered, while ride-hailing pick-up is on levels 2 and 1M of the P12 parking building; at the departure level the kerbside is drop-off only and empty commercial vehicles may not enter it; private cars park in the P11 or P12 parking buildings; the shuttle from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 boards at bay 30 of the east coach station in the T2 transport centre, is restricted to transit passengers, takes about 25 minutes and runs 24 hours, every 8 minutes from 09:00 to 23:00, every 15 minutes from 23:00 to 03:00 and from 05:00 to 09:00, and every 20 minutes from 03:00 to 05:00; the average interval of the intercity service from Terminal 3 is about 14 minutes; the airport's service line is 020-96158 | Guangzhou Municipal Government portal, government services — transport services: "From 7 May, Baiyun Airport Terminal 1 carriers move to T3, transport connection guide" (page byline: Guangzhou Daily Xinhuacheng), published 2026-05-04 https://www.gz.gov.cn/zwfw/zxfw/jtfw/content/post_10798042.html |
| S2 — Metro-to-intercity interchange table, intercity and shuttle fares, taxi queue split and driving route: passengers taking the metro to Gaozeng station (Line 3 and Line 9) change to the Gaozeng to Terminal 3 dedicated bus line, a single trip of about 15 minutes, at 2 yuan per person per trip, payable with a Yangchengtong card or cash, with senior bus cards accepted; the interchange pairs published for reaching the intercity line are metro Lines 2, 7 and 22 at Guangzhou South to intercity Panyu station by passageway, Line 3 at Dashi to intercity Dashi by passageway, Line 3 at Airport South to intercity Baiyun Airport South (street-level transfer), Line 3 at Airport North to intercity Baiyun Airport North by passageway, Line 5 at Keyun Lu (street-level), Line 6 at Longdong (street-level), Line 8 at Pazhou (street-level), Line 11 at Pazhou (in-station), Line 9 at Guangzhou North to intercity Huadu by passageway and Line 14 at Zhuliao to intercity Zhuliao by passageway; riding the intercity between the T1, T2 and T3 terminals costs 5 yuan per person per trip; passengers are advised to use a Yangchengtong card or to buy in advance through 12306 or the Guangzhou Metro app, because buying on site requires an identity document; taxis wait outside gate 72 on the arrival level, with short-haul (airport area, Huadu and Baiyun district) and long-haul (other Guangzhou urban districts) boarding separately, and ride-hailing pick-up is on levels 1 and 2 of the P12 parking building; the recommended driving route to Terminal 3 is the airport's second expressway, with the airport expressway via the Beihu interchange and the North Second Ring road as the alternative; the departure-level kerbside is for immediate drop-off only and empty vehicles may not enter it, and private cars may park in the P11 or P12 parking buildings | Guangzhou Huadu District Government portal, public responses: "From today, the Baiyun Airport Terminal 3 sightseeing line is updated", published 2025-11-12 https://www.huadu.gov.cn/zmhd/hygq/content/post_10557360.html |
| S3 — Opening of Terminal 3 and its transport centre, station location and parking scale: Terminal 3 was put into use on 30 October 2025, at the same time as the T3 integrated transport centre, the airport's second expressway and the intercity Baiyun Airport East station; the transport centre is attached to the south side of Terminal 3, covers about 259,000 square metres and connects road, rail, urban public transport and air travel in one interchange; rail services occupy the lower levels, level 1 connects to the terminal's arrivals hall for airport buses and the inter-terminal shuttle, and level 2 connects to the departures hall; it is served by the P11 and P12 parking buildings, which opened about 2,800 parking spaces with space-finding and reverse-search systems; the Guangzhou East Ring intercity line's Baiyun Airport East station opened on level B2 of the transport centre, the route from Terminal 3 reaches Guangzhou South in about 37 minutes, and high-speed rail and metro connections are described as still to come; the transport centre's lower level contains self-service check-in and baggage drop | Guangdong Province Leading Group Office for the Construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area portal, latest developments: "Baiyun Airport integrated transport centre opens, intercity Baiyun Airport East station opens" (page byline: Nanfang Plus), published 2025-11-04 https://www.cnbayarea.org.cn/news/focus/content/post_1309879.html |
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