Yibin Wuliangye Airport
Yibin Wuliangye Airport (IATA: YBP, ICAO: ZUYB) is a dual-use public and military airport serving the city of Yibin in southern Sichuan province, China. Opened in December 2019, it replaced the older Yibin Caiba Airport. The airport is named after Wuliangye, a locally made liquor that is one of the most famous baijiu brands in China.[1]
Yibin Wuliangye Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||
| Serves | Yibin, Sichuan, China | ||||||||||
| Location | Zongchang, Cuiping District | ||||||||||
| Opened | 5 December 2019 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 420 m / 1,378 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 28.858°N 104.525°E | ||||||||||
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  YBP Location of the airport  YBP YBP (China) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Yibin Wuliangye Airport | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 宜宾五粮液机场 | ||||||
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Overview
The airport received approval from the State Council of China in May 2012. It occupies an area of 4,500 mu (300 ha) in Zongchang Town (宗场), Cuiping District, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) northwest of the city center.[2] Construction began in October 2016 with a total investment of 2.927 billion yuan, and the airport opened on 5 December 2019.[3] It replaced the older Yibin Caiba Airport.[2]
Facilities
The airport has a runway that is 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide (class 4C), a 24,000-square-metre (260,000 sq ft) terminal building, and 13 aircraft parking aprons. It is projected to handle 2.5 million passengers annually by 2024.[3]
Airlines and destinations
Naming
The airport is named after Wuliangye, a famous liquor made in Yibin. This choice of name caused controversy in China. The name has been a target of ridicule by the public[4] and is considered illegal by some legal experts.[1] Although Renhuai Maotai Airport, another airport under construction in nearby Guizhou Province, is also named after the famous liquor brand Maotai, it has not attracted as much criticism as Maotai itself is named after a town.[4] Responding to the controversy, the Wuliangye Company has declared that it has not paid to have the airport named after its brand.[5]
References
- 宜宾机场更名被指违规 (in Chinese). Dongfang Daily. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- 国务院正式批复宜宾五粮液机场迁建项目立项 (in Chinese). Carnoc. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- Yao Xiaolan 姚晓岚 (2019-12-05). "宜宾五粮液机场今日通航：预计明后年通航城市将达到40个". The Paper. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
- “五粮液”命名机场不孤单 “茅台”机场将比邻而居 (in Chinese). Yicai Daily. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- 五粮液: 我们没出赞助费 (in Chinese). Beijing Morning Post. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.