Shanghai Longhua Airport

The primary reason for closure was urban encroachment and redevelopment. As Shanghai expanded rapidly, the city grew to surround the airport, making its operations increasingly hazardous and incompatible with the dense urban environment. Its location on the valuable Huangpu River waterfront made it a prime target for the Xuhui Waterfront (West Bund) redevelopment project, a major initiative to transform the industrial riverside into a public cultural and commercial corridor. The development of the much larger and more modern Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong international airports rendered Longhua obsolete for commercial aviation.

The former airport site has been completely transformed into the Xuhui Waterfront, also known as the West Bund, a vibrant public space and cultural hub. The site's aviation history has been thoughtfully incorporated into the new design:
- **Runway Park:** The main 1,800-meter runway has been preserved and converted into a multi-use park and roadway called Yunjin Road, retaining the original runway markings and lighting elements.
- **Repurposed Buildings:** The original 1930s hangar-style terminal building has been preserved and is now the Longhua Civil Aviation Center. Another large hangar has been converted into the West Bund Art Center, a major venue for art fairs and exhibitions.
- **Cultural Corridor:** The area is now home to numerous world-class art museums (such as the Long Museum and the Yuz Museum), galleries, performance venues, corporate headquarters, and extensive public parkland along the river, making it one of Shanghai's most popular recreational and cultural destinations.

Shanghai Longhua Airport was one of China's first airports and held immense historical importance.
- **Origins:** Established in 1917, it was initially a military airfield for the Beiyang government.
- **Golden Age of Aviation:** From the 1930s to the late 1940s, Longhua was Shanghai's main international and domestic airport and the busiest in the Far East. It was the primary hub for the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) and the Eurasia Aviation Corporation.
- **International Gateway:** It served as the terminal for Pan American World Airways' famous trans-Pacific 'China Clipper' service. While the seaplanes landed on the adjacent Huangpu River, passengers were processed through Longhua's facilities.
- **Wartime Role:** The airport was a key strategic site during the Second Sino-Japanese War, heavily contested during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937 and later occupied and used by Japanese forces.
- **Post-1949:** After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it continued as Shanghai's primary civil airport until commercial traffic was moved to Hongqiao in the mid-1960s. Afterwards, it was used by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for training, maintenance, and general aviation.

There are zero prospects for reopening Shanghai Longhua Airport for aviation purposes. The site is located in a densely populated, high-value urban core and has been permanently and comprehensively redeveloped into a major public, cultural, and commercial district. The infrastructure, including the runway, has been repurposed for non-aviation use. Shanghai's aviation needs are fully met by its two large international hubs, Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA).