Ganzi Kangding Airport
Ganzi Kangding Airport, also called Garzê Kangting Airport, Kangding Airport (IATA: KGT, ICAO: ZUKD) is an airport serving Kangding, the capital of Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province, China. It is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of the city center. Construction of the airport began in September 2006 and the airport started operation on April 26, 2009.[2]
Ganzi Kangding Airport 甘孜康定机场 | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Sichuan Airport Group | ||||||||||
| Location | Kangding, Sichuan | ||||||||||
| Opened | 26 April 2009 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4,280 m / 14,042 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°09′27″N 101°44′05″E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  KGT Location of airport in Sichuan | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2021) | |||||||||||
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Sources:[1] | |||||||||||
| Garzê Kangding Airport | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 甘孜康定机场 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 甘孜康定機場 | ||||||
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Situated at 4,280 m (14,042 ft) above sea level, Kangding Airport is the fourth highest airport in the world behind Daocheng Yading Airport, Qamdo Bamda Airport, and Shigatse Tingri Airport, and just higher than Ngari Gunsa Airport (elevation 4,274 m (14,022 ft)).[3]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Sichuan Airlines | Chengdu–Shuangliu, Chongqing,[4] Hangzhou[4] |
Incidents
Two China Eastern pilots had their licences revoked and an assistant captain was suspended from flying after a failed landing at Kangding Airport on 1 May 2016.[5] They were attempting to land an Airbus 319 on a scheduled flight MU5443 from Chengdu to Kangding. An attempt was made to land during bad weather; the aircraft hit the ground outside the runway at great speed, almost causing a serious crash. The aircraft suffered damage to its landing gear and tail, and returned to Chengdu after missing the approach. The co-pilot was seated in the cabin, with the assistant captain in the cockpit, however two experienced captains are required to be at the controls when landing at this high altitude airport.
References
- Airport information for KGT at Great Circle Mapper.
- 康定机场正式通航. Sichuan Online (in Chinese (China)).
- 西藏阿里昆莎机场迎来首航 为世界海拔第三高. chinanews.com (in Chinese (China)). 2010-07-01.
- 抢抓"四川机遇" 未来成都还将开通这些国际航线 (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- "Flight captains punished after failed landing". Shenzhen Daily. 10 May 2016.