Chifeng, China
Smoking policy at Chifeng, Chifeng Yulong Airport (CIF)
Warnings & Caveats
All indoor smoking is banned at mainland Chinese airports since 2016. Vaping is outdoor-only; only tobacco-flavour vapes are legal in China. Fines for smoking in prohibited areas can apply under local Inner Mongolia and national regulations.
Chifeng Yulong Airport (CIF) is a small regional airport in Inner Mongolia that follows the same national rules as every other mainland Chinese airport: all indoor smoking has been banned since 2016, and there are no airside smoking rooms or lounges anywhere in the terminal. If you need to smoke after clearing security, your only option is to exit the secure zone, use an outdoor designated area at the terminal entrance, and re-clear security.
Before Security
Landside smoking is your practical window here. Designated outdoor smoking zones are located at the curbside areas near the departures and arrivals entrances of the terminal building. Look for the standard no-smoking pictogram with a designated-area exception on signage just outside the terminal doors. These spots are free, open to anyone, and typically have standing ashtrays or receptacle bins.
Departures level: Curbside outdoor zone near the main departures entrance, accessible before check-in.
Arrivals level: Outdoor area near the arrivals exit, convenient if you have just landed and are waiting for ground transport.
If you are arriving by taxi or shuttle, take a few minutes to smoke before heading inside. Once you pass through security, there is nowhere to smoke until you exit the terminal entirely.
After Security
There are no smoking areas after security at CIF. The terminal is small and has no airline lounges, no IQOS-only rooms, and no heat-not-burn facilities. Exiting the secure zone to smoke outside and then re-clearing security is technically possible, but at a small regional airport the feasibility depends on your remaining connection time and whether any immigration formalities apply.
Vaping Rules
China's state e-cigarette monopoly, in effect since November 2022, means only tobacco-flavoured vapes are legal. All other flavours are banned. At airports, vaping is treated the same as smoking and is restricted to the same outdoor designated zones. Do not attempt to vape inside the terminal building.
Bottom Line
Smoke before you go through security at CIF. Once airside, there is nowhere to smoke, and no paid lounge or workaround exists at this small regional terminal.
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