Former airport that served Kunming, Yunnan, China (1923–2012)
Kunming Wujiaba International Airport(IATA: KMG, ICAO: ZPPP) was an airport that served Kunming, the capital of Southwestern China's Yunnan province. It is located 4km (2.5mi) south-east of metropolitan Kunming. Originally built in 1923, it was the city's main airport until it was replaced by the newly built Kunming Changshui International Airport on 28 June 2012. Wujiaba had been renovated numerous times into a modern facility throughout its operations. It was a major hub for China Eastern Airlines, Kunming Airlines, and Lucky Air. As of 2021, Wujiaba Airport has been demolished and the land will be fully redeveloped before the end of 2021.
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.[1]
The USAAF Air Transport Command (ATC) established a major air transport facility at the airport, which connected flights west to Chabua Airfield, India, with other routes within China Jiangbei Airport (Chunking); Chengtu Air Base, and Banmaw Airport (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[6] and again in September 2005.[7]
Sun, Lianggang. "Shanghai 1937 – Where World War II Began". SHANGHAI 1937: WHERE WORLD WAR II BEGAN. Retrieved 20 December 2020. When did World War II begin? Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began answers that question in a way most audiences will find surprising. Americans might say December 7, 1941… The day the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. For Europeans, it was September 1, 1939… When Nazi Germany invaded Poland. But in China, people will tell you a different date. August 13, 1937.