Zhanyi Airport

Replacement by a new, modern airport. The old Zhanyi Airport was a dual-use military/civilian facility with an aging and limited infrastructure. To meet the growing economic and transportation demands of the Qujing region, the Chinese government constructed the new, larger, and more modern Qujing Xuanwei Airport at a different location. Upon the new airport's opening, all civilian traffic was permanently transferred, and Zhanyi reverted to being a solely military installation.

The site at 25.592035, 103.829188 is an active and operational military airbase for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Satellite imagery shows well-maintained runways, taxiways, and numerous hardened aircraft shelters, confirming its ongoing military use. It is no longer a public or civilian facility. The ICAO code 'CN-0035' is an unofficial, non-standard identifier, likely used in older databases or flight simulators to designate smaller or closed airfields; it is not an official ICAO code.

Zhanyi Airport has a rich and significant military history dating back to World War II. During the war, it was a major United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) base known as Chanyi Airfield. It was a forward operating base for the Fourteenth Air Force and was critical to the war effort in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater. The airfield hosted numerous American units, including fighter groups (such as elements of the 23rd Fighter Group, the successors to the famous 'Flying Tigers'), bomber groups, and photo-reconnaissance squadrons. These units conducted missions to defend the vital 'Hump' airlift route over the Himalayas and to attack Japanese forces and supply lines throughout occupied China and Southeast Asia. After the war, it was returned to Chinese control and became a key airbase for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). For several years before its civilian closure, it handled limited domestic passenger flights for Qujing.

Effectively zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening Zhanyi Airport to civilian traffic. Its civilian role has been permanently and intentionally superseded by the purpose-built Qujing Xuanwei Airport. The site's continued strategic importance as a dedicated military airbase makes any future return to dual-use status extremely unlikely.