Kunming Wujiaba International Airport was the main airport serving Kunming, the capital of

Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

, China. It is located south-east of metropolitan Kunming. Originally built in 1923, the airport had been renovated numerous times into a modern facility before closing on 28 June 2012. It was a major hub for

China Eastern Airlines China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (), also known as China Eastern, is an airline headquartered in the China Eastern Airlines Building, on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai. It i ...

, Kunming Airlines, and

Lucky Air Lucky Air () is a low cost carrier based in Kunming, Yunnan, China. The airline started with flights connecting Kunming with Dali and Xishuangbanna, and later expanded to other domestic and international destinations. Its main base is Kunm ...

. The airport has been replaced by the new

Kunming Changshui International Airport Kunming Changshui International Airport is the primary airport serving Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, China. The airport is located northeast of the city center in a graded mountainous area about above sea level. The airport opene ...

. As of 2021, Wujiaba Airport has been demolished and the land will be fully redeveloped before the end of 2021.

History

Wujiaba is among the oldest airports in China, with a history that can be traced back to about 100 years, and was first established into a military airbase and flight-training institute under the supervision of local warlord General Tang Jiyao in 1922; an additional 23 airports would be established in Yunnan from 1922-1929. The Sino-Japanese War was the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in Asia, and following the Battles of Shanghai and

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, the Chinese Central Air Force Academy had to be relocated from Jianqiao Airbase to the expanded Wujiaba Airport. After a few years of support of the

Chinese 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 ...

under the Sino-Soviet Cooperation in the War of Resistance against the Empire of Japan, the United States began to show earnest support for China's war effort with the

oil embargo An oil embargo is an economic situation wherein entities engage in an embargo to limit the transport of petroleum to or from an area, in order to exact some desired outcome. One commentator states, " oil embargo is not a common commercial practice; ...

and

asset freezing Asset freezing is a form of interim or interlocutory injunction which prevents a defendant to an action from dealing with or dissipating its assets so as to frustrate a potential judgment. It is widely recognised in other common law jurisdictio ...

against Japan in 1941, and Wujiaba became the base for the "legendary

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States ...

", the American Volunteer Group (AVG) of combat airmen serving in the

, led by

Claire Lee Chennault Claire Lee Chennault (September 6, 1893 – July 27, 1958) was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the "Flying Tigers" and the Chinese Air Force in World War II. Chennault was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fighte ...

just before the United States entered the war. After the US entered the war in December 1941, and starting in 1942, Wujiaba Airport was the headquarters of numerous

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

units, including the Fourteenth Air Force and later the

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

. The USAAF

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

(ATC) established a major air transport facility at the airport, which connected flights west to

Chabua Airfield Chabua Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force base located at Chabua of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam, India. History US Air Force This Base was built in 1939. During World War II it was a major supply point for the ferrying of ...

, India, with other routes within China Jiangbei Airport ( Chunking); Chengtu Air Base, and

Banmaw Airport Bhamo Airport is an airport serving Bhamo (Banmaw), a city in the Kachin State in northern Myanmar. It is also known as Banmaw Airport. History Built as a Japanese Air Force base in 1942, the airport was attacked numerous times by Allied forces ...

(Bhamo, Burma). After the war ended in 1945, a 1,390-mile (2,224 kilometer) route east to Clark Air Base in the Philippines was established. The route to Clark AB established a complete worldwide transport route for ATC. The Flying Tigers Association visited in October 1982 and again in September 2005.

Other facilities

Before merging into

China Yunnan Airlines China Eastern Yunnan Airlines ( zh, s=东方航空云南有限公司, t=東方航空雲南有限公司, p=Dōngfāng Hángkōng Yúnnán Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), is an airline based in Kunming, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. It is the ...

had its head office was located at the airport."World Airline Directory." ''

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's old ...

''. 1–7 April 1998
57
"Wujaba Airport, Kunming, 650200, Yunnan Province, China"

Images

File:In Front Of Wujiaba Airport.JPG, Main building File:Kunming Wujiaba Airport (KMG) front.JPG, Front File:KUNMING2.jpg, Runway

Notes

References

* {{authority control Defunct airports in China Airports established in 1923 Airports disestablished in 2012 1923 establishments in China 2012 disestablishments in China Airports in Yunnan Transport in Kunming Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in China Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in the China-Burma-India Theater Flying Tigers

History

Other facilities

Images

See also

Notes

References