Route · XNN → XIY
Flights from Xining to Xian
Connecting Qinghai Province's high-altitude capital with Shaanxi's ancient imperial heart, this short 651-kilometre hop takes roughly an hour and fifteen minutes block time, making it a practical alternative to the overnight train for travellers linking the Tibetan Plateau gateway with Xi'an's Silk Road heritage sites. Sichuan Airlines, Air China, China Southern, Xiamen Airlines, Shandong Airlines, and Shenzhen Airlines all operate the pairing, typically deploying narrowbody Airbus A319s and A320s suited to Xining's elevated terrain. One practical note worth flagging: Xi'an Xianyang International arrivals can be a long haul from the city centre, so budget at least 45–60 minutes for the airport express or shuttle bus to reach the Bell Tower area. On fares, midweek departures in late autumn and early spring typically yield the softest pricing, while summer and Golden Week windows around October tighten availability noticeably and push economy fares meaningfully higher.
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Cheapest dates to fly
Live prices · powered by AviasalesThe calendar below pulls live fares from our search partner for Xining (XNN) → Xian (XIY). Use the year view… to spot the cheapest week to fly, the day-of-week patterns most travellers miss, and any shoulder-season dips worth shifting your trip around. Prices refresh every few hours, so what you see is what your booking page should look like a moment later — click any date to jump straight to the fare on Aviasales.
Airlines on this route
6 carriersThe 6 carriers we currently track on the Xining–Xian route, from full-service flag carriers to low-cost competitors. Tap any airline for its full profile, baggage… rules, fleet context, and a live fare search pre-filtered to that carrier — useful if you're loyal to a frequent-flyer programme, want to compare onboard product on the same dates, or are weighing a cheaper one-stop against a pricier nonstop.
Flights from Xining to Xian
Live schedule · powered by AviasalesBelow is the published weekly schedule for nonstop and one-stop services from Xining to Xian — the actual flight numbers, departure and arrival times your… booking page will pull from. Use it to plan around departure preferences (early morning vs late evening), see which carriers fly on which weekdays, or pick a connection that lets you sleep in your own bed before a long-haul leg. Click any row to load it directly in the search.
Airport guides
Quick links into the airport profiles at both ends of the route. Each guide covers terminal layout, the airlines that base hubs at XNN and… XIY, the other routes those airports serve, and the ground-transit options most travellers wish they'd read about before landing — the practical context you only really need to know once you've booked, but want to skim before you do.