Time-wasting taxiing sparks turbulence at Chinese airports

Mounting passenger frustration over long taxiing times at some of China’s main airports – in some cases matching the duration of a short-haul flight – is putting pressure on operators to rectify management ahead of the country’s summer travel rush, with the popularity of flying already being challenged by travel on high-speed trains.

Since last month, those landing at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, the country’s second-busiest by annual passenger throughput, have had to endure nearly an hour on the ground from touchdown to reaching assigned gates.

Tempers flared among passengers on a West Air flight from Chongqing to Guangzhou on May 31, which flight tracking platform Hangban Guanjia said took 58 minutes to taxi to its gate.

Baiyun is already massive, with three terminals separated by five runways, and ongoing expansion projects have made steering and navigating the busy hub’s intricate maze of runways, taxiways, intersections and construction areas to reach an air bridge a complex task for pilots and air traffic controllers and a test of patience for passengers.

Flights that land at Baiyun’s westernmost runway but are assigned gates at its eastern Terminal 3 have to taxi more than 15km. The situation was made worse after Baiyun’s Terminal 1 closed for a revamp last month, funnelling more flights to Terminal 3.

Heavy traffic is also adding to the woes. Guangzhou Baiyun handled more than 83 million passengers and 550,000 flights last year, ranking among the world’s 10 busiest and on par with Chicago O’Hare and London Heathrow.