Baishiyi Air Base (白市 Chongqing Baishiyi Airport)
Summary
Operating Country | 🇨🇳 China |
Location | 🇨🇳 China |
Status | ◉ Active |
Usage | Military only |
Year built | 1936 |
Operating Organization | People's Liberation Army Air Force |
Units |
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Description
Chongqing Baishiyi Airport, also known as Baishiyi Air Base, is a People's Liberation Army Air Force facility located approximately 21 km northwest of Chongqing city center in Southwestern China. It is owned by the People's Liberation Army and operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The airport opened in 1936 and served as the city's civilian airport until January 21, 1990, when all commercial flights were transferred to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. During World War II, known as Peishiyi (Paishihyi) Airfield, it served as a Chinese Air Force base for the 4th Pursuit Group, primarily composed of Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighter squadrons, for the defense of Chongqing. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the airport was utilized by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force. It functioned as a command and control base, serving as the headquarters of the 68th Composite Wing, which oversaw the combat operations of the 23d Fighter Group and the 308th Bombardment Group. C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft also used the airport for troop and supply transport. After the war, American units remained, with the facility becoming the headquarters of the China Air Service Command and the Fourteenth Air Force, before the last personnel departed in July 1946. Currently, the air base is home to the 98th Fighter Brigade and the 99th Fighter Brigade.