Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
ServesQinhuangdao, Hebei
LocationShanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao
Opened15 April 1985; 38 years ago (1985-04-15)
Passenger services ceased31 March 2016 (2016-03-31)
Coordinates39°58′05″N 119°43′52″E / 39.96806°N 119.73111°E / 39.96806; 119.73111
Map
SHP is located in Hebei
SHP
SHP
Location in Hebei
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 2,500 8,202 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers156,000
Source:[1]
Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport
Simplified Chinese秦皇岛山海关机场
Traditional Chinese秦皇島山海關機場

Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport (IATA: SHP, ICAO: ZBSH) is a military airport in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China. It is located in Shanhaiguan District, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city center. From 1985 to 2016 Shanhaiguan Airport also served as the civilian airport for Qinhuangdao. On 31 March 2016, the newly built Qinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport started operation and all civil flights were transferred to the new airport.

History

On 13 September 1971, Marshall Lin Biao, China's Vice Premier and Minister of Defense, attempted to flee China in his Hawker Siddeley Trident from Shanhaiguan Airport, allegedly following a failed coup attempt. The plane then crashed in Mongolia, killing all nine people on board, including Lin, his wife Ye Qun, and their son Lin Liguo.[2]

Shanhaiguan Airport was opened to civil flights on 15 April 1985.[3][4] During its three decades of operation, it operated flights to more than 20 Chinese cities. For a time starting in 2007, it temporarily operated international flights to Yakutsk and Blagoveshchensk in Russia. Throughout the thirty years the airport maintained a perfect safety record.[4]

Although Shanhaiguan Airport was expanded in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, its status as a military airport limited its potential for further growth.[3] As a result, the new Qinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport was proposed in 2004, and received approval from the State Council in July 2009. Construction for the new airport officially began in April 2012, and was completed in 2016. On 31 March 2016, Beidaihe Airport started operation, and all civil flights were transferred to the new airport. Shanhaiguan Airport reverted to sole military use,[3] although there are plans to use it for general aviation.[5] In 2015, its last full year of operation, Shanhaiguan Airport served 156,000 passengers.[5]

Facilities

The airport has a single runway that is 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) long (class 4C). It can handle mid-sized passenger jets such as the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. It has six aircraft parking aprons, and 200 car parking spaces.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Airport information for Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport at Great Circle Mapper.
  2. ^ Barnouin, Barbara; Yu, Changgen (2012). Ten Years of Turbulence. Routledge. pp. 240–2. ISBN 978-1-136-15786-8.
  3. ^ a b c 北戴河机场通航 山海关机场已移交军方. Carnoc (in Chinese). 2016-03-31.
  4. ^ a b c 秦皇岛机场分公司简介 (in Chinese). Qinhuangdao Airport. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b 山海关机场不再进行民航运输 将用于通航发展. CAAC News (in Chinese). 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016.
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