Hanzhong Xiguan Airport

Hanzhong Xiguan Airport (Chinese: 汉中西关机场) is the airport formerly serving the city of Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province, China. It is located only 2 kilometers from the city center,[1] which severely limits its expansion possibilities. As a result, Hanzhong Chenggu Airport, a military air base located in Chenggu County northeast of the city, was converted to a dual-use airport,[2] and replaced Xiguan Airport when it was opened on 13 August 2014.[3]

Hanzhong Xiguan Airport

汉中西关机场
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorHanzhong Airport Co. Ltd.
LocationHanzhong, Shaanxi
Coordinates33°03′49″N 107°00′29″E
Websitewww.cwag-hz.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13/31 1,800 5,906 Asphalt
Source:[1]
Hanzhong Xiguan Airport
Simplified Chinese汉中西关机场
Traditional Chinese漢中西關機場

History

The airport was first built in June 1937 by the Republic of China government, to replace a smaller airport that was completed only 4 years before. It was called Nancheng Airfield (南鄭機場), as the city of Hanzhong was then known as Nancheng (now romanized as Nanzheng) County. On 13 March 1938, the airport was bombed by the Japanese, and was closed until March 1939.[4]

During World War II, the airport was known as Hanchung (Nancheng) Airfield and was used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign (1942–1945). It was used by the Americans as a photo-reconnaissance base for unarmed P-38 Lightning aerial reconnaissance planes, which flew over Japanese-held territory gathering intelligence for the Chinese ground forces.[5] In addition, the Chinese-American Composite Wing 3d Bomb Group flew B-25 Mitchell medium bombers from the airport in 1944. The Americans closed their facilities at the end of the war in September 1945.[6]

The airport served as a military air base until civil services began in 1974.[4]

Facilities

The airport has a runway that is 1,800 meters long and 30 meters wide (class 3C), and a 600-meter terminal building.[1]

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. Airport Overview Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 总投资5.8亿 陕西汉中城固机场本月底改扩建 (in Chinese (China)). Carnoc. 7 December 2011.
  3. 汉中城固机场正式通航 (in Chinese (China)). Hanzhong city government. 2014-08-14. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28.
  4. Hanzhong Airport
  5. Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4
  6. USAFHRA Document Search - Hanchung
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