Draft:Wuhan Nanhu Airport
Wuhan Nanhu Airport 武汉南湖机场 | |||||||||||||||
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 The former control tower of Nanhu Airport in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public Military (before 1951) | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Wuhan | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei, China | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1936 | ||||||||||||||
| Closed | 15 April 1995 | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°30′35.13″N 114°18′45.67″E / 30.5097583°N 114.3126861°E | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  WUH/ZHHH Location of Wuhan Nanhu Airport in Hubei Province  WUH/ZHHH WUH/ZHHH (China) | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Wuhan Nanhu Airport was an airport that served Wuhan, the provincinal capital of Hubei in China. Built in 1936, the airport served as a military air base during the Republic of China period, before being converted to a civilian airport after the founding of the People's Republic of China. The airport closed in 1995, and most of its flights were transferred to Tianhe International Airport.
Operational history
[edit]Republic of China
[edit]After the 1911 Revolution, the Hubei Military Government formed an aviation team. Pan Shizhong, a member of the team, built an airship hangar in Nanhu Lake to prepare for airship operations. During World War I, airplanes began to play a role in the military field. After that, the Nationalist government built aircraft repair hangars in various places across the country, including in Nanhu.[2]
In 1936, to defend against threats from invading Japanese forces, the Hubei provincinal government started the construction of an airport on the bank of South Lake (after which the airport is named after) in Wuchang District.[2][3] The completed airport has one runway in the east-west direction paved with gravel, and was managed by the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF). In 1938, after the outbreak of the Battle of Wuhan, the Military Affairs Commission made the decision to abandon the city, and troops in the city destroyed the remaining key infrastructure, including Nanhu Airport.[4]
After the takeover of the city by Japanese forces and the airport coming under Japanese control, the existing runway was renovated, expanded and newly paved with cement. In addition, a new north-south runway was built.[5] The Japanese used forced labour to complete the works.[6] In the meantime, anti-war sentiments emerged among occupying Japanese troops due to the pyrrhic victory during the Battle of Wuhan.[7] On 19 January 1939, Japanese ground workers at Nanhu Airport started a mutiny, in which 13 planes and one oil depot were destroyed.[8]
Following the surrender of Japan, the control of Nanhu Airport was returned to the ROCAF. In 1947, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) established an air traffic control centre at Nanhu Airport, with Xujiapeng Airport established as the primary civilian airport.[9] The following year, due to heavy rain causing the runway at Xujiapeng Airport to become unusable, the CAA sought permission from the ROCAF to temporarily allow civilian airliners to enter Nanhu Airport. In the same year, the CAA decided to abolish the east-west runway and renovate the north-south runway. The airport was used by China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) and Central Air Transport (CATC).[10]
Shortly prior to the takeover of the city by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the airport was abandoned and both the CNAC and CATC offices were evacuated. After PLA occupied the city, the airport management was transferred to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and the east-west runway was repaired for operations.[10]
People's Republic of China
[edit]After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the CAAC, under the direction of Zhou Enlai, established two flights from Wuhan: Tianjin-Wuhan-Guangzhou and Tianjin-Wuhan-Chongqing. Although the flights were planned to stop at Wangjiadun Airport, the planes made their stopover at Nanhu Airport instead.[11][12] A welcome ceremony was held when the two flights landed at Nanhu Airport for the first time on 1 August 1950.[2][13] The airport was re-designated as a civilian airport the following year, and opened scheduled flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing.[4][12][11]
In 1953, Nanhu Airport was renovated, with works including the extension and repairs of the north-south runway, aprons and terminals. This was the second largest airport expansion project in China at the time, following works carried out at Tianjin Zhangguizhuang Airport (present day Tianjin Binhai International Airport). The north-south runway after renovation was 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) long and 50 metres (160 ft) wide.[12][11]
References
[edit]- ^ "1995年4月15日武汉天河机场投入营运". 荆楚网. 2008-04-17. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
- ^ a b c Zhang, Yiyou (2023). "怀念逝去的南湖机场" [Remembering the long gone Nanhu Airport]. Hubei Archives (in Chinese) (3): 21–23. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1003-8167.2023.03.007. ISSN 1003-8167.
- ^ Wuhan Place Names Committee (1990). 武汉地名志 (in Chinese). Wuhan: Wuhan Publishing House. ISBN 7-5430-0334-1.
- ^ a b "张学良曾为南湖机场题字". Changjiang Times. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2025 – via Sina News.
- ^ 中国民用航空志 中南地区卷 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. Beijing: China Civil Aviation Publishing House. 2013. ISBN 978-7-5128-0119-6.
- ^ "张学良曾为南湖机场题字". Changjiang Times. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2025 – via Sina News.
- ^ "南湖机场的兴废" [The rise and demise of Nanhu Airport]. Wuhan Publishing House.
- ^ Wuhan Local Chronicles Compilation Committee (1990). 武汉市志 (in Chinese). Vol. 2. Wuhan: Wuhan University Press. ISBN 7-307-00852-1.
- ^ "南湖机场的兴废" [The rise and demise of Nanhu Airport]. Wuhan Publishing House.
- ^ a b 中国民用航空志 中南地区卷 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. Beijing: China Civil Aviation Publishing House. 2013. ISBN 978-7-5128-0119-6.
- ^ a b c Wuhan Local Chronicles Compilation Committee (1998). 武汉市志 (in Chinese). Vol. 12. Wuhan University Press. ISBN 7-307-02577-9.
- ^ a b c Hubei Provincial Local Chronicles Compilation Committee (1995). 湖北省志 交通邮电 (in Chinese). Hubei People's Press. ISBN 7-216-01650-5.
- ^ Han, Guoqing (5 June 2023). "南湖机场的前世今生". CCAonline.cn.