Yinchuan Xihuayuan Airport
Airport in People's Republic of China / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yinchuan Xihuayuan Airport was the former main airport of Yinchuan, Ningxia, China. It was built on orders of Ningxia governor Ma Hongkui in 1935 as a military airport with a gravel runway. The airport was closed from September 1949 to September 1958.[1] In 1958, the airport was renovated to welcome the establishment of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, of which Yinchuan became the capital. After the renovation, the Xihuayuan Airport had a gravel runway with a length of 1415 meters and a width of 40 meters.[2] On 20 October 1958, a CAAC Il-14 passenger plane landed at the airport, marking the official resumption of flights at the airport.[3][4][5]
Yinchuan Xihuayuan Airport 银川西花园机场 | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Opened | 1935 | ||||||||||
Closed | September 1997 | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 38.501282°N 106.144622°E / 38.501282; 106.144622 | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Location of the former airport in Yinchuan | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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In September 1986, the airport was expanded and became a 3C-class airport, being able to handle aircraft like the BAe 146 under 50 tons.[6] The airport ceased operations in September 1997 due to the facilities being in need of upgrading and lack of expansion room. Its function was taken over by Yinchuan Hedong Airport.[7]
The airport was the only airport in China serving a provincial capital that still had a gravel runway. At night, the runway was lit using lanterns, and during the rainy season the airport would often flood.[8]
The airport terminal was preserved as a protected cultural heritage site by the Yinchuan Cultural Relics Department.[1]