Recommended domestic airport: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (ZUCK/CKG)

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (hereinafter referred to as Jiangbei Airport) boasts excellent infrastructure. It is a Category 4 airport with four terminals and four runways; the combined floor area of Terminals T3A and T3B alone is 530,000 square meters. Its annual passenger throughput consistently ranks among the top ten in the country, with high flight density and air traffic control operating at full capacity during peak periods—making it a naturally challenging environment for air traffic control simulation games.

Then there’s the terrain. This is Jiangbei’s most distinctive selling point. Chongqing is a “Mountain City,” and Jiangbei Airport is built on a plateau carved out of a mountaintop, surrounded by undulating hills, with the runway elevation at 416 meters.During approach, pilots don’t see flat plains—instead, they’re met with a panorama of mountains and fog. This visual effect makes it one of the most instantly recognizable scenes in the game, offering an atmospheric feel without the need for additional design. Moreover, Chongqing’s year-round fog, low clouds, and poor visibility add another layer of difficulty to air traffic control.

The route network is also quite interesting. As a hub for Southwest China, Jiangbei features a high density of domestic routes, along with a large number of international routes to Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Europe. During the same time slot, you can see aircraft from Sichuan Airlines, Air China, Tibet Airlines, and various foreign carriers queuing together, with models ranging from the ARJ21 to the A350—making it very appealing to players who enjoy aircraft diversity.

Another point worth noting is Jiangbei’s distinctive runway configuration. The four parallel runways are all oriented roughly 02/20 (or 03/21), but with varying spacings, allowing for a wide variety of operational modes—independent parallel approaches, coordinated parallel approaches, and segregated operations. The runway allocation strategies alone are enough to keep air traffic control players busy for quite some time.

Finally, a personal note: Chongqing is simply the perfect setting for a game. The confluence of the two rivers, Hongyadong, the myriad of surreal overpasses, and the light rail running through buildings—if the game ever plans to include city background rendering, the urban skyline surrounding Jiangbei Airport would undoubtedly be one of the most visually striking among all airports. The feeling of seeing the mountains lit up with lights during a night landing is truly magical.

In short, whether in terms of air traffic control complexity, unique terrain, route diversity, or visual appeal, Jiangbei is an airport well worth adding to the game. I hope the development team will consider it!