Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Serves | Qinhuangdao,Hebei | ||||||||||
| Location | Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao | ||||||||||
| Opened | 15 April 1985; 40 years ago (1985-04-15) | ||||||||||
| Passenger services ceased | 31 March 2016 (2016-03-31) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°58′05″N119°43′52″E / 39.96806°N 119.73111°E /39.96806; 119.73111 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  SHP Location in Hebei | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2015) | |||||||||||
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| Source:[1] | |||||||||||
| Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 秦皇岛山海关机场 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 秦皇島山海關機場 | ||||||
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Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport (IATA:SHP,ICAO:ZBSH) is a military airport inQinhuangdao,Hebei Province, China. It is located inShanhaiguan District, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city center. From 1985 to 2016 Shanhaiguan Airport also served as the civilian airport for Qinhuangdao. On 31 March 2016, the newly builtQinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport started operation and all civil flights were transferred to the new airport.
On 13 September 1971, MarshallLin Biao, China's Vice Premier and Minister of Defense, attempted to flee China in hisHawker Siddeley Trident from Shanhaiguan Airport, allegedly following a failed coup attempt. The plane then crashed in Mongolia, killing all nine people on board, including Lin, his wifeYe Qun, and their sonLin Liguo.[2]
Shanhaiguan Airport was opened to civil flights on 15 April 1985.[3][4] During its three decades of operation, it operated flights to more than 20 Chinese cities. For a time starting in 2007, it temporarily operated international flights toYakutsk andBlagoveshchensk in Russia. Throughout the thirty years the airport maintained a perfect safety record.[4]
Although Shanhaiguan Airport was expanded in preparation for the2008 Beijing Olympics, its status as a military airport limited its potential for further growth.[3] As a result, the newQinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport was proposed in 2004, and received approval from theState Council in July 2009. Construction for the new airport officially began in April 2012, and was completed in 2016. On 31 March 2016, Beidaihe Airport started operation, and all civil flights were transferred to the new airport. Shanhaiguan Airport reverted to sole military use,[3] although there are plans to use it forgeneral aviation.[5] In 2015, its last full year of operation, Shanhaiguan Airport served 156,000 passengers.[5]
The airport has a single runway that is 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) long (class 4C). It can handle mid-sized passenger jets such as theBoeing 737 and theAirbus A320. It has six aircraft parking aprons, and 200 car parking spaces.[4]