Yichang Sanxia International Airport YIH / ZHYC

Hubei's second-busiest airport after Wuhan Tianhe and the main air gateway to the Three Gorges Dam and western-central Hubei; 2025 traffic of 3,406,149 (+10.8% year-on-year, CAAC national rank 58, up one place) followed the June 2022 opening of T2 and a February 2022 runway extension to 3,200 m. Renamed from 'Yichang Sanxia Airport' to 'Yichang Sanxia International Airport' on April 17, 2024, after the airport's port-of-entry status was expanded to full customs/immigration opening on July 13, 2023 (Hubei's second fully-open international airport after Wuhan Tianhe) — but scheduled international/regional passenger routes remain thin (2025 inbound/outbound international traffic was about 123,000 passengers across 5 international routes), so confirm current service before planning international operations here. Ownership sits with a Yichang municipal state-investment vehicle (51% since June 2020) rather than the provincial Hubei Airport Group that runs Wuhan Tianhe and the rest of Hubei's airports; the 49% minority holder is now named Hainan Kong'gang Holding Operation Management Co., Ltd. — the same legal entity as the former HNA Airport Holding (Group) Co., Ltd., renamed and moved under Hainan provincial state ownership after HNA Group's restructuring rather than remaining part of the HNA conglomerate. CAT I ILS is installed at both runway ends (14 and 32), added with the February 2022 runway extension — the airport is not a bare-VFR field as sometimes reported.