Beijing Nanyuan Airport was a
military airbase
An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...
and a secondary
commercial airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfac ...
of
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. Located in
Fengtai District, south of the
4th Ring Road and from
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square (; 天安门广场; Pinyin: ''Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng''; Wade–Giles: ''Tʻien1-an1-mên2 Kuang3-chʻang3'') is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the eponymous Tiananmen ...
, Nanyuan Airport was first opened in 1910, making it the oldest airport in China. It was the main hub of
China United Airlines
China United Airlines Co., Ltd. () is a low-cost carrier and a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines with its headquarters and main hub on the grounds of Beijing Daxing International Airport in Daxing District, Beijing, operating scheduled fl ...
, which was also the airport's sole airline.
Nanyuan Airport ceased civil operations on 25 September 2019, after all commercial passenger flights (operated by
China United Airlines
China United Airlines Co., Ltd. () is a low-cost carrier and a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines with its headquarters and main hub on the grounds of Beijing Daxing International Airport in Daxing District, Beijing, operating scheduled fl ...
) were moved to the newly opened
Beijing Daxing International Airport
Beijing Daxing International Airport , is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). It is located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province. It has bee ...
.
It remained operational as a
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
military base until 30 September 2019, when the (known as "New Nanyuan Airport" during construction) opened. It is adjacent to Beijing Daxing airport.
History
The first aircraft landed in the Nanyuan area was in 1904. In July 1907, the government built rudimentary runways in Nanyuan's Yijun training ground (also known as the Wulidian soldier training ground) and used it for a light aircraft purchased from France.
In August 1910, the
Qing government
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
began to establish air transportation in China, with the built of a factory in Nanyuan to experiment with manufacturing aircraft, the Nanyuan airport officially opened its regular use.
Nanyuan airport was the first airport in China and one of the three
operational airports opened before 1910s in the world. After the
Xinhai Revolution
The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a ...
,
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. H ...
, who followed suggestions from the French advisers, established the first official flying academy in China in 1913:
Nanyuan Flying Academy, with
Li Ruyan as chief, and purchased 10 French
Caudron trainer aircraft for 300,000 silver dollars. After the
Second Zhili-Fengtian War
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
, the academy was closed. However, the more than 100 pilots that trained in the academy over 4 terms have played important roles in China's aviation history. Later on, some of them has become key persons in civil aviation.
In the brief episode of the
Manchu Restoration
The Manchu Restoration or Dingsi Restoration (), also known as Zhang Xun Restoration (), or Xuantong Restoration (), was an attempt to restore the Chinese monarchy by General Zhang Xun, whose army seized Beijing and briefly reinstalled the las ...
led by Qing loyalist general
Zhang Xun
Zhang Xun (; September 16, 1854 – September 11, 1923), courtesy name Shaoxuan (), art name Songshoulaoren (), nickname Bianshuai (, ), was a Chinese general and Qing loyalist who attempted to restore the abdicated emperor Puyi in the Manchu ...
in July 1917, then-
Premier Duan Qirui
Duan Qirui (; ) (March 6, 1865 – November 2, 1936) was a Chinese warlord and politician, a commander of the Beiyang Army and the acting Chief Executive of the Republic of China (in Beijing) from 1924 to 1926. He was also the Premier of the R ...
ordered a
Caudron Type D
The Caudron Type D was a French pre-World War I single seat, twin-boom tractor biplane, a close but slightly smaller relative of the two seat Caudron Type C. More than a dozen were completed, one exported to the United Kingdom, where they may al ...
aircraft piloted by Pan Shizhong (潘世忠) and bombardier Du Yuyuan (杜裕源) of the country's
fledgling air force based in Nanyuan airbase to fly to and drop bombs over the Forbidden City; three bombs were dropped, causing the death of a eunuch, but otherwise minor damage.
During the
Sino-Japanese War, the
Japanese Army extended the airport, upgraded its air traffic control facilities, and changed the name to Nanyuan military camp. After the
Surrender of Japan in 1945, Nanyuan Airport has become one of the most important airports for the
Nationalist government and its
air force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
. The private planes of
Chiang Kai-shek and
Fu Zuoyi
Fu Zuoyi () (June 2, 1895 − April 19, 1974) was a Chinese military leader. He began his military career in the service of Yan Xishan, and he was widely praised for his defense of Suiyuan from the Japanese. During the final stages of the Chi ...
have taken off from the Nanyuan Airport; many of
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
's important military and government personnels have also boarded flights from Nanyuan. There was also an aviation accident happened at the airport in 1945.
During 1946
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
fighter squadron
VMF-218 was based here.
in December 1948, the
People's Liberation Army took control of the airport. In August 1949, the first flying brigade of the
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
was formed in here, and they participated in the
People's Republic of China Founding Ceremony's flying missions. Since then, Nanyuan Airport has been supporting the training of air and ground forces in all of the subsequent
National Day Show of Force events.
In 1986,
China United Airlines
China United Airlines Co., Ltd. () is a low-cost carrier and a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines with its headquarters and main hub on the grounds of Beijing Daxing International Airport in Daxing District, Beijing, operating scheduled fl ...
was established as a military-owned civil airline with special authorization to use military airports. Becoming the first commercial airline to serve Nanyuan, it turned the airbase into its main
hub. It has continued to operate out of the airbase despite its 2004 privatization and sale to
Shanghai Airlines
Shanghai Airlines () is an airline headquartered in Shanghai. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, but its operations remain separate post-merger, retaining its distinct brand and livery. Shanghai Airlines operates domestic ...
.
In 2008, Nanyuan Airport witnessed a high growth rate. The total number of passengers served increased by 80.1%, reaching 1,357,038; total freight loaded/unloaded reached 13,243 tonnes, which was a 65.6% increase from the previous year. Traffic movements also had a very strong growth rate of 72.2%, registering 12,245.
Nanyuan Airport opened a new terminal in September 2013 with a designed passenger handling capacity of 6 million people.
The previous terminal was capable of handling 2.8 million passengers during 2011.
Nanyuan ceased civil operation on 25 September 2019, after all commercial passenger flights were moved to the newly opened
Beijing Daxing International Airport
Beijing Daxing International Airport , is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). It is located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province. It has bee ...
.
Nanyuan remains operational as a
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
air base until late September 2019, when the
Beijing Nanjiao Airport (known as "New Nanyuan Airport" during construction) opened.
See also
*
Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX). It is located northeast of Beijing's city center, in an exclave of Chaoyang District ...
*
Beijing Daxing International Airport
Beijing Daxing International Airport , is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). It is located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province. It has bee ...
*
Beijing Xijiao Airport
Beijing Xijiao Airport is a military airport in Beijing, China. It was also used by charter flights. It is located in Haidian District, from Beijing Capital International Airport and about from the city centre. It has one runway numbered 18/36. ...
*
List of People's Liberation Army Air Force airbases
This is a list of air bases operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Facilities included in the list include all aerodromes at which the PLAAF operates a regular presence. These may include those exclusively for military use ...
References
{{authority control
Airports established in 1910
Airports disestablished in 2019
1910 establishments in China
Airports in Beijing
Defunct airports in China
Chinese Air Force bases
Buildings and structures in Fengtai District
Transport in Fengtai District
2019 disestablishments in China