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Xinyang Minggang Airport (IATA: XAI, ICAO: ZHXY), or Minggang Air Base, is a dual-use civil and military airport serving the city of Xinyang in Henan Province, China. It is in the town of Minggang in Pingqiao District, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) from downtown Xinyang and 48 kilometres (30 mi) from the city of Zhumadian.
History
The military air base formerly known as Zhumadian Airbase was built in the 1930s and served important national defense operations following the Manchurian Incident; Zhumadian was critical in supporting the Nationalist Chinese Air Force operations in the northern-front during the War of Resistance-World War II, and was where the 4th Fighter-Attack Group of the Chinese Air Force launched their close-air support missions for Chinese ground forces fighting the Imperial Japanese Army at the Battle of Taierzhuang. The airbase was completely modernized in 1958, and in September 2011, the State Council and the Central Military Commission approved the proposal to convert the base to a dual-use airport. Construction began in November 2015, and a test flight was completed on 23 May 2018. The airport was officially opened on 28 October 2018 for commercial passenger operations, with an inaugural China Eastern Airlines MU9921 flight from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. The construction budget was 360 million yuan.
Facilities
Xinyang Minggang Airport has a runway that is 2,700 meters long and 50 meters wide (class 4C), and a 5,000 square-meter terminal building. It is projected to handle 300,000 passengers and 2,500 tons of cargo per year by 2020.
趣历史, 网站. "长空写忠魂：击落第一架日本战机的张光明-趣历史网". m.qulishi.com. Retrieved 2024-04-09. 1938年3、4月间，驻汉口的空军第四大队和驻孝感的空军第三大队，曾多次对当时的台儿庄中日大会战进行长距离突袭，支援地面部队作战。对于长途奔袭的机群，油料是最大的问题。四大队从汉口起飞，要到河南驻马店和归德机场加油挂弹，再飞向台儿庄、枣庄和峄县一带，攻击敌军阵地。因油料关系，每次仅能在战地上空停留15分钟，即须返航。 [In March and April 1938, the Air Force's 4th Fighter Group Squadron stationed in Hankou and the 3rd Air Force Squadron stationed in Xiaogan carried out long-distance raids in the Sino-Japanese Battle of Taierzhuang many times to support ground forces. The long-distance raid required the 4th Fighter Group squadrons to take off from Hankou with only fuel loads, and then landing in Zhumadian and Gui'de forward airbases in Henan Province to refuel and load with armaments, and then flying to targets in Taierzhuang, Zaozhuang and Yi County to attack enemy positions, where they could only loiter over the battle zones for 15 minutes maximum each time before having to return.]
XAILocation of airport in Henan