Chengdu is easily accessible by air with 39 international flight connections. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, located at 16 kms from the city center, is China’s fifth international airport hub, with a volume of passengers exceeding 29 million (2011), after Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou . In December 2009, the airport added a second runway - becoming the fourth airport with such facilities in China after the once in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Chengdu has direct international air routes to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, North-America, India, Australia, Europe (Amsterdam) and Bangalore (India). Direct flights to Tokyo and Los-Angeles are expected to open in year 2011.
Chengdu City has a good public transportation system, provided with bus lines covering the whole area of the city. The transportation fare varies from RMB 1 for ordinary buses to RMB 2 for air-conditioned buses. Taxi cab is also a convenient way of transportation with flag-fall prices of RMB 8 and RMB 1.9 per additional kilometre. The urban subway system is presently under construction and consists of seven lines with a total length of 274 kilometres; line 1 has been operational since October 2010 and line 2 will be operational in 2012.