In short
This is the only station page on this site for Haikou, and the reason is simple: because Meilan station is underneath the terminal, "airport to Meilan station" is not a real question, while "airport to Haikou East station" is searched constantly — and it happens to be the easiest leg at the airport. Here is the whole route. After baggage claim, do not head for the exits: follow the rail pictogram down one level, using any of the three ways down, Gate 2 of the T1 arrivals level, the atrium of the Ground Transport Centre or Gate 3 of the T2 arrivals level, all indoors, with the airport quoting about 400 m in a straight line and five minutes on foot. Buy your ticket at the level B1 station entrance: the machines run in Chinese and English and take cash, WeChat Pay, Alipay and UnionPay, and a foreign passport works at the staffed window. Then you have two kinds of train. First, the suburban S-series, officially ¥4, taking 8–9 minutes and running 07:10–22:33 on a commuter-style frequency, so there is no timetable to chase; it is also the train you want for Haikou station, the mainland ferry-train terminus, six stops and ¥10 away. Second, the C-series intercity trains on the east-ring line, about eight minutes to Haikou East at ¥8 in second class, ¥13 in first and ¥29 in business, which suit you better if you are continuing to Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning or Sanya. Three things to watch. Both directions board from the same level B1 concourse, so read the screens for your destination rather than guessing the platform. Nothing suburban runs after 22:33, so if you miss it take a taxi over roughly 20 km, which third-party sites put at about 40 minutes. And if Sanya is your real destination, buy Meilan to Sanya instead: ¥113 in second class and as little as 1h14, with the last southbound departure extended to 22:51 on 15 April 2026 so late landings still connect. One more note: coach Line 2 at ¥20 serves Haikou West Bus Station, not Haikou East, so do not expect it to drop you at the rail station door.
- Do you leave the building
- No — Meilan station is on level B1 of both terminals
- Walking time
- About 400 m in a straight line, 5 minutes
- Ways down
- Gate 2 of T1 arrivals, the GTC atrium, Gate 3 of T2 arrivals
- Suburban train fare and time
- ¥4, 8–9 minutes
- C-series intercity train
- About 8 min: ¥8 second, ¥13 first, ¥29 business
- Service window
- 07:10–22:33
- Code for Haikou East
- HMQ, with Meilan coded MHQ
- Machines: language and payment
- Chinese and English; cash, WeChat Pay, Alipay, UnionPay
- Onwards to Sanya
- ¥113 second class, from 1h14, last southbound 22:51
- Taxi fallback
- About 20 km, metered; third-party sites say about 40 min
How to take each option
Down to Meilan station, then the suburban train to Haikou East
Time A 5-minute walk plus 8–9 minutesFare ¥4First 07:10Last 22:33
- After baggage claim, ignore the signs leading outside to taxis and coaches and look for the rail pictogram instead, then go down one level.
- Pick one of the three ways down — Gate 2 of the T1 arrivals level, the atrium of the Ground Transport Centre, or Gate 3 of the T2 arrivals level — all indoors, about 400 m and five minutes, with lifts and escalators.
- Buy at the machines by the level B1 station entrance, which run in Chinese and English and take cash, WeChat Pay, Alipay and UnionPay; a foreign passport also works at the staffed window.
- Read the screens for the train number and destination. Suburban trains carry an S prefix, cost ¥4 and take 8–9 minutes to Haikou East; C-series intercity trains take about eight minutes at ¥8. Do not board the wrong platform.
- Clear security, scan through the gate and ride 8–9 minutes to Haikou East, where you can change to a bus, a taxi or another ring-railway service.
The service window is 07:10–22:33 and trains run like a commuter line, so there is no timetable to chase. The ¥4 fare is published by the airport and is the cheapest ride here.
Continuing to Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning or Sanya: take a C-series train
Time About 8 min to Haikou East, about 1h31 to SanyaFare ¥8 to Haikou East; ¥113 to Sanya
- Buy your ticket at Meilan all the way to your final destination rather than only to Haikou East and rebooking there: it is the same east-ring line and one ticket covers the whole run.
- Haikou East is about eight minutes away at ¥8 in second class, ¥13 in first and ¥29 in business, and the line continues south through Wenchang, Qionghai, Bo’ao, Wanning, Lingshui and Yalong Bay to Sanya.
- For Sanya it is ¥113 in second class and ¥181 in first, about 1h31 on C-series trains and as little as 1h14 on the fastest D-series, which is D7477 leaving at 13:21 and arriving at 14:35.
- If you are connecting to a flight at Sanya Phoenix airport, some trains run through to Phoenix Airport station — D7471 leaves Meilan at 08:01, for example — taking about 1h34 at ¥117 in second class.
Since the 15 April 2026 timetable change every east-section train stops at Meilan, and the last southbound departure was extended to 22:51, so late-arriving flights still connect.
After the last train, or with heavy bags: take a taxi
Time About 40 min (third-party)Fare Metered
- Follow the taxi signs to the official rank, outside Gate 3 of the Level 1 arrivals hall at both T1 and T2, open 24 hours.
- Show the driver the Chinese characters for Haikou East station and say clearly that you want the meter. It is about 20 km, with an ¥11 flag fall between 00:00 and 05:00.
- Pay the meter and ask for a receipt: ¥10 for the first 3 km, then ¥2.1 per km, with a 50% surcharge per kilometre beyond 15 km. No reference fare to Haikou East is published.
The 40 minutes quoted by third-party travel sites is a reference only: the airport publishes neither a fare nor a journey time to Haikou East, and only the meter decides.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
What matters is the suburban service window of 07:10–22:33: after 22:33 there is no suburban train to Haikou East. If you are heading for Sanya, the last southbound departure from Meilan was extended to 22:51 on 15 April 2026, some 18 minutes later still, though the timetable posted on the airport’s own site carries an update date of 19 November 2025 and predates that change, its latest entry being C7346 at 22:25 towards Haikou station. Miss both and a taxi or ride-hailing car is the only answer, both running 24 hours with an ¥11 flag fall between 00:00 and 05:00. Coach Line 2 at ¥20 finishes at Haikou West Bus Station rather than Haikou East, so do not count on it at night.
Questions travellers ask
What is the fastest way from Haikou Meilan airport to Haikou East station?
Go down one level and take the suburban train: five minutes on foot to Meilan station on level B1, then 8–9 minutes to Haikou East for ¥4. Even with ticketing it beats a taxi, and it runs 07:10–22:33.
How much is the train from the airport to Haikou East?
The suburban train costs ¥4, an official airport fare, while a C-series intercity train costs ¥8 in second class, ¥13 in first and ¥29 in business. Both board from the same level B1 concourse and both take about eight or nine minutes.
Are Meilan and Haikou East the same station?
No. Meilan, code MHQ, is on level B1 of the terminal, while Haikou East, code HMQ, is in the south-east of the city, 8–9 minutes and ¥4 apart by suburban train. Meilan is itself a station on the ring high-speed line, so you can ride south to Sanya direct from it.
Do the machines have English, and do they take foreign cards?
The machines run in Chinese and English and accept cash, WeChat Pay, Alipay and UnionPay, exactly as the airport states. Whether a foreign Visa or Mastercard works directly in the machine is not officially confirmed, so carry some cash or link an international card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly.
What time is the last train?
The suburban service runs until 22:33, and since the 15 April 2026 timetable change the last southbound departure towards Sanya is 22:51. Note that the timetable posted on the airport’s own site was updated on 19 November 2025 and predates that change, its latest entry still being C7346 at 22:25.
I need Haikou station for the mainland train, not Haikou East — what changes?
Stay on the same suburban train to the end: ¥10, six stops via Haikou East, Chengxi, Xiuying and Changliu, with the airport’s own timetable showing C7346 leaving at 22:25 and arriving 32 minutes later. No change needed.
Does the airport bus go to Haikou East station?
No. Coach Line 2, at ¥20, finishes at Haikou West Bus Station rather than Haikou East, and Line 1 finishes at the Xinyuan Hot Spring Hotel in the city centre. For Haikou East use Meilan station on level B1, eight or nine minutes and ¥4.
How much is a taxi to Haikou East station?
No reference fare is published. What you can check is the tariff: ¥10 for the first 3 km, then ¥2.1 per km, ¥0.5 per minute at low speed, a 50% surcharge per kilometre beyond 15 km and an ¥11 flag fall between 00:00 and 05:00. It is about 20 km, which third-party sites put at some 40 minutes.
I have a train at Haikou East — how early should I leave the terminal?
For the suburban service, which is frequent, allow about 20 minutes: five minutes walking, ticketing, eight or nine minutes riding, plus a margin. If you already hold a ticket for a C or D-series train, allow 30–40 minutes, since security and finding the platform take time.
Is it manageable with heavy luggage?
Yes. The way down to level B1 is indoors with lifts and escalators, with no road to cross and no shuttle to wait for, and the ride lasts only eight or nine minutes. It is easier than a taxi, whose rank is outside the terminal altogether.