Guangchang International Airport

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Guang Guangchang
Guangchang International Airport
IATA: GGX – ICAO: ZPGU
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Guangchang Public Airport Authority
Operator Guangchang Public Airport Authority
Serves Guang Guangchang
Location Yunnan Province
Statistics (2016)
Aircraft operations 278,935
Passenger movement 28,764,002


History[edit | edit source]

Yunnan Province has traditionally been left out of China's economic miracle but by the early 21st century its fortunes were beginning to change. In 2005 the former town of Guang Guangchang achieved city status and by 2008 when the population of the metropolis reached 7 million people it was agreed a new airport was required to serve the area and its growing industrial output. Plans were laid for the construction of a cargo-dedicated facility, but by 2010 it became clear the increase in passenger travel by air in asia required a sizeable passenger facility as well.

A double-terminal complex was agreed in late 2011 after Hainan Airlines agreed a 10-year deal to base two aircraft at the facility, and contributed to building a dedicated facility for their use.

Guangchang in 2015

Guangchang International Airport was officially completed in September 2014 and scheduled services began on 2nd November that year when a Hainan Airlines B737 operated the inaugural service to Haikou. Xiamen Airlines and Sichuan Airlines also have significant presences at the airport, with the latter designating it as a hub for their services in 2016. One of the moe interesting airlines to serve Guangchang is Ethiopian Airlines, who began flying to the Ethiopian capital Addis Abbaba to serve the growing market between Africa and Asia. The route is primarily used by Chinese investors to Africa and is seen as a key area of expansion by the Ethiopian government. Guangchang has also become a significant player in the cross-straight agreement between the PRC and Taiwan. with the increasing liberalisation of the air market between the two Chinas, Guangchang has enjoyed an influx of Taiwanese airlines with Eva Air, China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines all flying to the city daily.

As of 2017 British Airways are the only carrier to have served the airport and then withdrawn services. A route to London-Heathrow was operated for just short of 12 months before being axed in September 2016 because of poor yields.

In 2016 a second, newer terminal facility was added that increased apron and parking space by 40%. Hainan Airlines and their affiliates occupied this new space while the original two terminals were combined into one building, serving Skyteam Partner airlines. The same year saw the opening of the cargo facility which sees a modest but steady stream of traffic.

Airlines & Destinations[edit | edit source]

Passenger[edit | edit source]

Airlines Destinations Terminal
Air Asia X Kuala Lumpur 2
Air Busan Busan (Seasonal) 1
Air China Beijing-Capital, Shanghai-Pudong, Yangon, Kathmandu 2
All Nippon Airways Tokyo-Narita 2
Chang An Airlines Xi'an Xianyang 2
China Airlines Taipei Taoyuan, Kaohsiung 1
China Eastern Airlines Osaka Kansai 1
China Southern Airlines Brisbane, Perth, Guangzhou, Wenzhou, Guilan-Lianjang, Jinan Yaoqiang, Nanning-Wuxu, Qingdao, Shenyang, Beijing-Capital, Changchun, Meixian 1
Chongqing Airlines Diqing, Shangri-La, Tengchong 1
Delta Air Lines Seattle 1
Ethiopian Airlines Addis-Ababa 2
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi 2
Eva Air Taipei Taoyuan 2
Garuda Indonesia Denpasar Bali (Summer Only) 1
Hainan Airlines Amsterdam Schipol, Berlin-Tegel, Brussels, Moscow Sheremetyevo, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Toronto-Pearson, Tokyo-Haneda, Singapore, Haikou, Hangzhou, Lanzhou, Dalian, Sanya, Taiyuan, Wuhan Tainhe, Changzi, Ningbo, Zhengzhou, Hohhot, Macau 2
Iran Air Tehran Imam Khomeni 2
JAL Tokyo-Narita 2
Juneyao Airlines Guiyang, Lijiang 2
Korean Air Seoul Incheon 1
Loongair Bijie, Linyi, Yinchuan (via Luoyang) 2
Lucky Air Kunming, Luzhou 2
Lufthansa Frankfurt 2
Mandarin Airlines Taichung 2
Philippine Airlines Manila 2
Qantas Sydney 2
Saudia Jeddah 1
Shanghai Airlines Shanghai-Pudong 1
Shenzhen Airlines Shenzhen Bao'an 2
Sichuan Airlines Dubai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wanzhou, Guiyang, Hebei, Yichang, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Xining, Xuzhou, Changsha 2
Spring Airlines Shanghai-Hongqiao 2
Spring Airlines Japan Tokyo-Narita 2
Sriwijaya Air Denpasar Bali (Summer Only) 2
Thai Airlines Bangkok Suvarnabhumi 2
Tibet Airlines Lhasa 2
Vietjet Hanoi 2
Vietnam Airlines Ho Chi Minh City 1
West Air China Singapore, Xishuangbanna, Zhangjiajie, Zhuhai 2
Xiamen Air Xiamen, Fuzhou, Changsha, Hangzhou, Harbin, Nanchang, Nanjing, Tianjin, Quanzhou, Urumqi, Wuyishan 1

Cargo[edit | edit source]

Airlines Destinations
Korean Air Cargo Frankfurt, Liege, Liepzig
SF Airlines Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing-Capital
Turkmenistan Airlines Ashgabat
UPS Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Louisville

Accidents and Incidents[edit | edit source]

On 21st February 2016 a Hainan Airlines 737-800 operating from Guangchang to Haikou suffered a seized starboard undercarriage brake while taxiing at Guangchang and left the taxiway, becoming bogged down in the grass off the tarmac. The passengers and crew were unharmed and delays to other flights were limited. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.