Nanchang Qingyunpu Airport
| Company type | Military and civil airport (former) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Headquarters | Nanchang , China |
Area served | Nanchang, Jiangxi, China |
| Products | Airport services, aircraft testing support |
Nanchang Qingyunpu Airport (), also referred to as Sanjiadian Airport (), is situated within Qingyunpu District in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. Initially established for use by the Republic of China Air Force, it held the distinction of being the largest airport in China upon its inauguration in 1935. The facility was destroyed during the Second Sino-Japanese War but was subsequently reconstructed. Following 1949, its primary function shifted to supporting test flights conducted by the aircraft manufacturer Hongdu Aviation Industry Group until it was superseded by Nanchang Yaohu Airport in 2018.
Location and facilities
Located in Qingyunpu District, which is part of Nanchang—the capital city of Jiangxi Province—the airport possesses a cement runway measuring long and wide, capable of accommodating aircraft comparable to the Boeing 737. The airfield rests at an elevation of above sea level.
Republic of China
Initially named Sanjiadian Airport, Qingyunpu was constructed under the directive of Chiang Kai-shek to support military campaigns against the Chinese Soviet Republic. The earlier airfield, Laoyingfang Airport, was positioned too near the city center to efficiently manage frequent sorties involving its fleet of 250 warplanes.
In September 1933, Chiang commissioned the development of Sanjiadian on Nanchang’s periphery, mobilizing approximately 290,000 workers from throughout Jiangxi Province. Groundbreaking occurred on 1 August 1934, with the airport commencing operations in spring 1935 as China's largest airbase and earning the title "No. 1 airport in the Far East." It was also known as the New Nanchang Airport.
That same year, Chiang formalized an agreement with Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini to establish the Sino-Italian National Aircraft Works (SINAW), which launched in 1934 with manufacturing plants at both Sanjiadian and Laoyingfang airports. SINAW later developed into the prominent Chinese aerospace firm Hongdu Aviation Industry Group.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese air raids inflicted severe damage on SINAW’s facilities. On 22 December 1937, Qingyunpu was targeted by bombers; Chinese Air Force fighters engaged the attackers, resulting in significant dogfights. Notably, Chinese pilot Xu Baodi, operating a Soviet Polikarpov I-15 obtained through the Sino-Soviet Treaty, successfully shot down Imperial Japanese Navy aviator Shiota Ryōhei.
The Soviet Union contributed volunteer air units stationed at Qingyunpu to aid Chinese defenses. Captains Anton Alekseyevich Gubenko and Major Liu Zhesheng recorded multiple enemy aircraft downed during intense aerial engagements over Nanchang in June 1938. Continuous hostilities led to extensive destruction of the airport between late 1937 and mid-1939; reconstruction took place after World War II concluded in 1945.
People's Republic of China
Post-1949, extensive renovations were undertaken, and the airport became dedicated to aircraft testing activities by Hongdu Machinery Factory (now known as Hongdu Aviation). Between March 1981 and early 1982, due to runway upgrades at Nanchang Xiangtang Airport, Qingyunpu temporarily functioned as Nanchang’s public airport for a period of nine months.
As urban development expanded around it, Qingyunpu Airport found itself enclosed within Qingyunpu District’s city limits, restricting any potential for enlargement. The airport’s location interferes with several major thoroughfares, contributing notably to traffic congestion in the area. On 23 December 2009, an agreement was reached between Jiangxi provincial authorities and Aviation Industry Corporation of China, parent company of Hongdu Aviation, to construct Nanchang Yaohu Airport within Nanchang Aviation Industrial City as a replacement for Qingyunpu Airport. Construction commenced in November 2016, culminating with Yaohu Airport’s opening on 16 August 2018. The closure of Qingyunpu Airport was anticipated by the end of that same year.