In short
Buses at Haikou Meilan come in three layers plus a long-distance one. The first layer is three airport coaches operated by Hainan Haiqi Group. Line 1 runs to the Xinyuan Hot Spring Hotel in the city, with scheduled airport departures from 07:40 to 02:20 the next morning and city departures 06:30–21:50. Line 2 runs to Haikou West Bus Station, departing the airport 08:30 to 00:30 and the city 07:00–22:00. Line 3 runs to Laocheng and the Blue Horizon Junhua Hotel via the West Coast, the CDF International Duty Free City and Xinhai Port, departing both ends between 11:00 and 23:00, with the return leg requiring a phone booking 90 minutes ahead on 13098988001. Fares are ¥20 for an adult on Lines 1 and 2, ¥10 for a child or with a military disability certificate and ¥15 with a student ID, while Line 3 charges ¥30, or ¥15 with the same concessions. Outside the scheduled windows all three lines switch to pre-booked rides through the Haiqixing mini-program. The second layer is three airport public bus routes run by Haikou Bus Group and charged by distance: Airport Line 1 to Yintan Garden runs 06:30–22:00 at ¥1 minimum and ¥5 for the full ride, Airport Line 2 to Jinwaitan runs 06:15–22:00 at ¥1 minimum and ¥6 full, and Airport Line 3 to Xinhai Port runs 08:15–22:30 at ¥2 minimum and ¥10 full. The third layer is intercity coaches leaving the airport for towns and counties across Hainan: ¥20 to Wenchang, ¥35 to Ding’an, ¥50 to Tunchang, ¥56 or ¥60 to Danzhou Nada on express services, ¥57 to Changjiang Shilu and ¥74 to Baisha, with departures spread between 07:10 and 23:20 and tickets sold through the Haiqixing mini-program. Four boarding points need keeping straight. The airport coaches board outside Gate 4 of the T1 arrivals hall and Gate 4 of the T2 arrivals hall, with ticket desks at Gate 4 of T1 arrivals and Gate 3 on Level 1 of T2. The public buses board at the Ground Transport Centre opposite the Level 1 arrivals hall at T1 and at Exit 3 of the T2 car park, enquiries 0898-66663066. The intercity coaches board at the GTC at T1 and outside Gate 4 of the T2 Level 1 arrivals hall, enquiries 0898-65687290. Three things need saying up front. First, the airport publishes no journey time for any route, so this page quotes no minutes at all and ignores the 35–60 minutes claimed by third-party travel sites. Second, official sources disagree on where the coaches board: the coach page says outside Gate 4, while the airport’s Spring Festival guide says outside Gate 3 at T1 and between Gates 2 and 3 at T2; this page follows the official coach page and the signs on the day. Third, if all you want is to get into the city, look at Meilan station on level B1 first: eight or nine minutes and ¥4 to Haikou East beats every bus here.
- Airport coach routes
- Three, Lines 1 to 3, run by Hainan Haiqi Group
- Coach fares
- ¥20 adult on Lines 1 and 2; ¥30 on Line 3
- Airport public bus routes
- Three, routes 1 to 3, run by Haikou Bus Group
- Public bus fares
- Distance-based, from ¥1–2 up to ¥5–10
- Intercity fares
- ¥20–74 depending on the destination
- Journey times
- Not published; this page quotes no minutes
- After the last scheduled run
- Pre-book through the Haiqixing mini-program
- Bus enquiries
- 0898-66663066 for public buses, 0898-65687290 for intercity, both 24 hours
- A faster alternative
- Meilan station on level B1: ¥4 and 8–9 min to Haikou East
How to take each option
Buying a ticket and boarding, step by step
- Work out first which kind you need, because they board in different places: the airport coaches run by Hainan Haiqi Group at ¥20–30 leave from outside Gate 4 of both arrivals halls, while the airport public buses run by Haikou Bus Group, from ¥1, leave from the GTC at T1 and Exit 3 of the T2 car park.
- Buy your ticket at the desk: for the airport coaches it is outside Gate 4 of the T1 arrivals hall and at Gate 3 on Level 1 of T2, and for intercity coaches at the GTC at T1 and the same Gate 3 desk at T2. The public buses are paid by distance on board and sell nothing in advance.
- Read the destination board on the front rather than just the number: Coach Line 2 goes to the West Bus Station, while public bus route 2 goes to Jinwaitan.
- Stow big bags in the hold under the coach and keep valuables with you. The public buses have no luggage hold, so large suitcases are a struggle.
Official sources disagree on the coach boarding point: the airport’s coach page says outside Gate 4 of both arrivals halls, while its Spring Festival travel guide says outside Gate 3 at T1 and between Gates 2 and 3 at T2. This page follows the coach page, but trust the signs on the day and note that both versions are recorded in the gaps at the foot of this file.
Taking an airport coach into the city (Lines 1 and 2)
Fare ¥20 adult, ¥10 child, ¥15 student
- Pick your line by destination: Line 1 finishes at the Xinyuan Hot Spring Hotel in the city and Line 2 at Haikou West Bus Station. Both call at T1 before T2.
- From the airport, scheduled departures run 07:40 to 02:20 on Line 1 and 08:30 to 00:30 on Line 2; from the city they run 06:30–21:50 and 07:00–22:00 respectively.
- Outside those windows, pre-book through the Haiqixing mini-program, because between 02:20 and 07:40 on Line 1 and 00:30 and 08:30 on Line 2 nothing is guaranteed at the kerb.
The airport publishes departure windows and fares but never a journey time, so the 35–60 minutes quoted by third-party travel sites is left out deliberately.
Taking the airport public bus, the cheapest option
Fare Distance-based, from ¥1–2 up to ¥5–10
- Walk to the bus boarding points: the Ground Transport Centre opposite the Level 1 arrivals hall at T1, and Exit 3 of the T2 car park. The 24-hour enquiry line is 0898-66663066.
- Pick your route: Airport Line 1 to Yintan Garden runs 06:30–22:00 from ¥1 to ¥5, Airport Line 2 to Jinwaitan runs 06:15–22:00 from ¥1 to ¥6, and Airport Line 3 to Xinhai Port runs 08:15–22:30 from ¥2 to ¥10.
- Pay by distance on board with small change or a QR wallet. These buses stop everywhere and have no luggage hold, so do not choose them in a hurry.
Airport Line 3 runs through to Xinhai Port, which is what you want for a cross-strait ferry, while Airport Line 2 serves the central shopping district around Mingzhu Square.
Taking an intercity coach to another part of Hainan
Fare ¥20–74
- Work out which route serves your destination: ¥20 to Wenchang, ¥35 to Ding’an, ¥50 to Tunchang, ¥56 or ¥60 to Danzhou Nada on express services, ¥57 to Changjiang Shilu and ¥74 to Baisha.
- Board at the Ground Transport Centre opposite the T1 Level 1 arrivals hall or outside Gate 4 of the T2 Level 1 arrivals hall, with counters at the GTC and at Gate 3 on Level 1 of T2.
- You can also buy through the Haiqixing WeChat mini-program. The Ding’an route is the most frequent, hourly from 07:10 to 22:10, while Baisha has a single departure at 14:40, so check that day’s timings first.
Enquiries on 0898-65687290, 24 hours. The airport notes on these routes that fares and times are subject to change and that the counter is authoritative. The ¥35 to Ding’an and ¥56 or ¥60 to Danzhou Nada are independently corroborated by a Ding’an county release and a local news site; the rest rest on the airport’s single page.
When no bus fits your plan
- If you simply want to get into the city, use Meilan station on level B1 first: eight or nine minutes and ¥4 to Haikou East, faster and cheaper than any bus here.
- For Sanya, Wenchang, Qionghai or Wanning, take the east-ring line from the same Meilan station: ¥113 to Sanya in second class and as little as 1h14.
- For door to door, taxis queue outside Gate 3 of the Level 1 arrivals hall at both T1 and T2 around the clock and are metered, while ride-hailing uses Level 1 of the GTC at T1 and zone C2 on level B1 of the T2 car park.
The weakness of the buses here is not the fare but the unknown duration: no journey time is published, and in traffic they are far slower than the railway. Anyone in a hurry should go to Meilan station instead.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
Really only Line 1 carries the night: its scheduled departures run until 02:20, after which rides are pre-booked through the Haiqixing mini-program until 07:40, while Line 2 stops its scheduled runs at 00:30 and Line 3 at 23:00. The public buses finish earlier, at 22:00 on routes 1 and 2 and 22:30 on route 3, and the last intercity departure is the Danzhou Nada run at 23:20. In the small hours the reliable answers remain taxis and ride-hailing, both running 24 hours, with the taxi flag fall at ¥11 between 00:00 and 05:00. Remember the railway too: the suburban service runs 07:10–22:33 and the last southbound east-ring departure is 22:51, after which a taxi is all that is left.
Questions travellers ask
How much do the Haikou Meilan airport buses cost?
Coach Lines 1 and 2 cost ¥20 for an adult, ¥10 for a child and ¥15 with a student ID, and Line 3 costs ¥30, or ¥15 with a disability certificate or student ID. The public buses charge by distance from ¥1–2 up to ¥5–10, and intercity coaches run ¥20–74 depending on the destination.
How long does the airport bus take?
The airport does not publish it. All seven routes list departure windows and fares but no journey time at all, so this page invents none either, and the 35–60 minutes for coaches and two hours for public buses claimed by third-party sites are left out.
What time is the last airport bus?
From the airport, Line 1 runs until 02:20, Line 2 until 00:30 and Line 3 until 23:00. Public bus routes 1 and 2 finish at 22:00 and route 3 at 22:30, after which everything switches to pre-booked rides through the Haiqixing mini-program.
Where do the airport buses leave from?
The airport coaches leave from outside Gate 4 of both arrivals halls according to the airport’s own coach page, although its Spring Festival guide gives a different version, Gate 3 at T1 and between Gates 2 and 3 at T2, so trust the signs on the day. The public buses use the GTC at T1 and Exit 3 of the T2 car park, a completely separate area.
Is the airport bus the same as the railway station?
No. The railway station, Meilan, is on level B1 of the terminal, five minutes on foot and ¥4 for the 8–9 minute ride to Haikou East, while the coaches board outside Gate 4 of the arrivals hall from ¥20. They are entirely separate systems, so do not look for a train in the coach area.
Are there coaches to Wenchang, Danzhou and other counties?
Yes, intercity coaches run from the airport to counties across the island: ¥20 to Wenchang, ¥35 to Ding’an, ¥50 to Tunchang, ¥56 or ¥60 to Danzhou Nada on express services, ¥57 to Changjiang Shilu and ¥74 to Baisha. They board at the GTC at T1 and outside Gate 4 of the T2 Level 1 arrivals hall, enquiries 0898-65687290.
Can I pay for the bus with my phone?
The airport does not state payment methods. In practice cash, Alipay and WeChat Pay QR codes all work; since the public bus fare starts at ¥1, have small change or set up a QR wallet first, because drivers cannot change large notes.
Which route should I take for the ferry at Xinhai Port?
Public bus route 3 runs through to Xinhai Port between 08:15 and 22:30 at ¥2 minimum and ¥10 for the full ride, and Coach Line 3 also calls at the Xinhai Port ferry terminal, ¥30 with departures between 11:00 and 23:00.
Bus or train?
For the city, take the train: Meilan station is on level B1, ¥4 and 8–9 minutes to Haikou East, faster and cheaper than any bus, and unlike the buses its timing is known. The buses earn their keep for direct rides along their own corridors — the Xinyuan Hot Spring Hotel, the West Bus Station, Xinhai Port, the duty free city and Laocheng — and for reaching other counties.
Is there a bus if I land in the middle of the night?
Coach Line 1 keeps scheduled departures until 02:20 and then switches to pre-booked rides through the Haiqixing mini-program until 07:40, with nothing guaranteed at the kerb, and Line 2 does the same after 00:30. The reliable answers are the taxi rank and ride-hailing, both available 24 hours.