Xi'an Xiguan Airport

西安西关机场

Xī'ān Xīguān Jīchǎng
Xiguan Airport before closure in July 1991
Summary
Airport typeDefunct
ServesXi'an
LocationLianhu District, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Opened1924 (1924)
Closed1 September 1991 (1991-09-01)
Coordinates34°22′36″N 109°7′12″E / 34.37667°N 109.12000°E / 34.37667; 109.12000
Map
SIA is located in China
SIA
SIA
Location of airport in China
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 2,800 9,186 Concrete (Closed)
Source:[1]
Xi'an Xiguan Airport
Simplified Chinese西安西关机场
Traditional Chinese西安西關機場

Xi'an Xiguan Airport (Chinese: 西安西关机场) (IATA: SIA, ICAO: ZLSN) was the airport serving Xi'an, capital of China's Shaanxi Province. It was closed on 1 September 1991, when all flights were transferred to the new Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.[2][3]

History

The Xi'an Xiguan Airfield was built in 1924 under the directives of Zhang Xueliang of the Fengtian Army, and as the Chinese warlord battles raged, Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan sought to subjugate the Nationalist government of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek; the Young Marshall however sided with the Nationalists, and the Nationalist Chinese Air Force units began their stationing at Xi'an Xiguan Airfield, specifically the 6th Reconnaissance-Attack/Scout-Attack Group composed of O2U-1 light-attack/scout-bombers in 1929–30, which were deployed in the Central Plains War. During the War of Resistance-World War II,[4] the airport was known as Hsian Airfield and was used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign (1942–1945). The Americans used the airport primarily as a photo-reconnaissance airfield, with unarmed P-38 Lightnings, equipped with aerial cameras flew over Japanese-held territory providing intelligence to the Chinese ground forces. In addition, P-61 Black Widow night interceptor aircraft flew from the airport, providing defense against night bombing raids by the Japanese, along with P-47 Thunderbolts day fighters and C-47 Skytrain transports flying in supplies and ammunition to support friendly forces in the area. The Americans closed their facilities at the airport after the end of the war in September 1945.[5][6]

By the 1980s, the airport was too small to handle rapid increase of local and foreign tourists and the terminal grew inadequate and the airport could no longer expand. On September 1, 1991, the airport was closed and all the flights and vehicles left at the airport were transferred to the new Xianyang Airport. The site of the airport was then converted into a civil park.

Ilyushin Il-18 at Xiguan 1988.
An Ilyushin Il-18 at the tarmac in 1988. At that time, bicycles patrolling the airport apron was still a norm.

Former airlines and destinations

Some Airlines operated in Xi'an Xiguan Airport in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly Chinese airlines, such as CAAC. Before 1991, it was also a hub for China Northwest Airlines.

Airlines Destinations
CAAC Airlines Ankang, Beijing-Capital, Chengdu, Chongqing/Baishiyi, Chongqing/Jiangbei , Guangzhou, Guilin/Qifengling, Hong Kong/Kai Tak, Kunming/Wujiaba, Lanzhou/Gongxingdun, Lanzhou/Zhongchuan , Shanghai/Longhua, Shanghai/Jiangwan, Shanghai/Hongqiao, Taiyuan, Ürümqi, Wuhan/Wangjiadun, Wuhan/Nanhu, Zhengzhou/Dongjiao
C.N.A.C Beijing/Nanyuan, Canton, Chongqing/Baishiyi, Guilin, Nanjing/Dajiaochang, Shanghai/Longhua
Central Air Transport Beijing/Nanyuan, Canton, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guilin, Hankou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Nanjing, Shanghai/Longhua, Tianjin
Civil Air Transport (before 1949) Beijing/Nanyuan, Canton, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guilin, Hankou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shanghai/Longhua, Tianjin
China Northwest Airlines Beijing-Capital, Chengdu, Chongqing/Baishiyi, Chongqing/Jiangbei, Guangzhou, Guilin/Qifengling , Haikou/Daiyangshan, Hong Kong/Kai Tak, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nagoya-Komaki, Shanghai/Hongqiao, Taiyuan, Tokyo/Narita, Ürümqi, Wuhan (Nanhu), Yinchuan
China Southwest Airlines Chengdu, Chongqing/Baishiyi, Chongqing/Jiangbei
China Xinjiang Airlines Beijing-Capital, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin/Qifengling, Kunming, Ürümqi, Zhengzhou/Dongjiao
Dragonair Hong Kong/Kai Tak
Pan Am Beijing/Nanyuan, Chongqing/Baishiyi, Nanjing/Dajiaochang, Shanghai/Longhua, Taiyuan, Tianjin[7]

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ↑ Airport information for SIA / ZLSN at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  2. ↑ Accident history for SIA / ZLSN at Aviation Safety Network
  3. ↑ "陕西年鉴1992". Archived from the original on May 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Shanghai 1937 – Where World War II Began". Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  5. ↑ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4
  6. ↑ USAFHRA Document Search - Hsian
  7. ↑ "Pan Am Series – Part XXXIII: Saigon". JPB TRANS CONSULTING, LLC. 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
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