Nanning Wuxu International Airport , known as Air Force Nanning Air Base when used for military purposes, is a dualâÂÂuse civilâÂÂmilitary international airport serving Nanning, the capital of South Central China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is located southwest of the centre of the city. The airport was built in 1962, with improvements made in 1990. Terminal 2 entered official operation on September 25, 2014. Its design was inspired by the HanâÂÂdynasty "Phoenix Lantern" unearthed in Hepu, Guangxi. The building covers , has three floors, and is equipped with 32 passenger boarding bridges.
It is designed to handle 16 million passengers annually. The number of passengers reached 1 million in 2002, and jumped to 2 million by 2006. The number of passengers reached 15 million passengers in 2019.
Classified as a 4EâÂÂgrade airfield, it is the largest airport in Guangxi and serves as an important provincial trunkâÂÂline airport as well as a designated gateway hub to ASEAN. In 2025, the airport handled 13.5 million passengers, a yearâÂÂonâÂÂyear decrease of 3.6 percent; 186,616.7 tons of cargo and mail, down 8.1 percent; and 97,966 aircraft movements, an decrease of 7.5 percent. These figures ranked the airport 33th, 22th, and 38th respectively among airports in China that year.
The administrative predecessor of Nanning Wuxu International Airport was the authority that once managed Yongning Airfield (éÂÂ寧æ©Âå ´) and Nanning Airfield (Ã¥ÂÂ寧æ©Âå ´), which had been built in 1929 by the New Guangxi Clique (æ°æ¡Âç³»è»ÂéÂÂ¥) for military purposes.
From 1942 to 1945, the Yongning Airfield served as a base for the U.S. Army Air Forces' Fourteenth Air Force â the successor to the Flying Tigers â and was primarily used by PâÂÂ38 reconnaissance aircraft conducting intelligence missions. After the end of the War of Resistance, the airfield was closed in October 1945.
In May 1945, after Nanning was restored, the Air Force of the National Revolutionary Army reâÂÂentered the airfield and began repairing and expanding the facilities. They rebuilt structures and converted the original brickâÂÂandâÂÂstone runway into a taxiway, while constructing a new eastâÂÂwest runway with a gravelâÂÂandâÂÂearth surface measuring 1,545 meters in length, 45 meters in width, and 25 cm in thickness. Work came to a halt when Japan announced its unconditional surrender.<sup>:235</sup>
On December 4, 1949, following the defeat of Nationalist forces in the Guangxi Campaign, the Republic of China Air Force abandoned Yongning Airport. Before departing, they strafed the fuel depot with machineâÂÂgun fire, causing most of the buildings to burn down and leaving the airfield nearly in ruins.<sup>:288</sup> That evening, units of the People's Liberation Army's 116th Division occupied the airport without encountering resistance. Shortly thereafter, Yongning Airport was renamed Nanning Airport.
In October 1958, because Nanning Airport was too close to the urban area and its facilities had become outdated, it was decided that a new airport was needed to serve the city. The site for the new airport was selected in the Wuxu area, 31 kilometers from downtown Nanning.<sup>:313</sup> Construction of Nanning Wuxu Airport began at the end of 1958, and the airport entered operation in November 1962, after which the management organization of the old Nanning Airport began relocating to the new Wuxu facility.<sup>:313</sup> When first built, the runway was 2,400 meters long and 45 meters wide, constructed primarily of reinforced concrete, and capable of handling aircraft such as the AnâÂÂ2, CâÂÂ46, and CâÂÂ47.
In 1989, in response to growing aviation demand and with approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, an investment of 22 million yuan was allocated to upgrade the runway at Nanning Wuxu International Airport, which had been operating under heavy load for nearly thirty years. A concrete overlay, averaging 22 to 26 centimeters in thickness, was added to the existing runway, taxiways, and apron, and the runway was extended 300 meters to the south. A full set of supporting facilities, including upgraded runway lighting, was also completed, raising the airport's operational standards and enabling MDâÂÂ82 aircraft to take off and land safely. By 1990, total cumulative investment in Nanning Airport construction had exceeded 51.7 million yuan, allowing it to accommodate the MDâÂÂ82 and all smaller aircraft types.
In July 1995, Nanning Wuxu Airport began construction of a new terminal building with a floor area of 25,885 square meters, along with an expanded apron and newly built taxiways. The new terminal entered service in April 1998 and was designed to handle an annual passenger throughput of 2.5 million. The cargo warehouse covered 2,000 square meters and had a planned annual cargoâÂÂandâÂÂmail capacity of 30,000 tons.
In 2003, the airport was officially renamed Nanning Wuxu International Airport.
In 2006, Nanning Wuxu International Airport expanded its apron to 124,000 square meters and added two new ClassâÂÂE parking stands for large aircraft, along with a 315âÂÂmeter taxiway. These upgrades enabled the airport to accommodate wideâÂÂbody aircraft such as the Boeing 747.
In December 2008, Nanning Wuxu International Airport commissioned a new airfield, which included a newly built runway. The new runway measured 3,200 meters in length and 45 meters in width, with 7.5âÂÂmeter shoulders on both sides. At the same time, the old runway was extended 500 meters to the north and converted into a taxiway. Additional rapidâÂÂexit taxiways and several perpendicular taxiways were constructed between the runway and the new taxiway system, and the apron and aircraft stands were also expanded. These upgrades significantly enhanced the airport's operational capacity and ensured the safe arrival and departure of the special aircraft carrying national leaders attending the China-ASEAN Summit that year.
In 2010, Nanning Wuxu International Airport undertook another expansion of its existing terminal area as an interim measure to cope with rapidly increasing traffic before the new terminal complex was completed. The project included a 6,815âÂÂsquareâÂÂmeter northward extension of the existing terminal building, along with interior renovations. The apron was expanded to the north, a new taxiway was constructed, and the northern section of the airport's cargo terminal was enlarged by an additional 2,928 square meters.
In October 2011, construction began on the new terminal area and supporting facilities at Nanning Wuxu International Airport. The project was designed to meet the airport's projected 2020 capacity requirements: 16 million passengers annually (13.6 million domestic and 2.4 million international) along with a peakâÂÂhour throughput of 6,027 passengers, 164,000 tons of cargo and mail, and 137,600 aircraft movements.
Major components of the project included the construction of a new 3,200âÂÂmeter parallel taxiway on the east side of the existing runway, with additional segments of a second parallel taxiway built at the eastern ends of the system. The plan also called for a 50âÂÂstand apron, a new 189,000âÂÂsquareâÂÂmeter terminal building, and a full suite of auxiliary and publicâÂÂservice facilities such as administrative offices, fireâÂÂrescue stations, power and water supply systems, cooling plants, and access roads. The project further encompassed airâÂÂtrafficâÂÂcontrol works, facilities for the CAAC Guangxi Regulatory Bureau, onâÂÂairport and offâÂÂairport fuelâÂÂsupply systems, and the construction of Shenzhen Airlines' Nanning base. The total investment for the project was approximately 8â¯billion yuan.
On September 25, 2014, Terminal 2 of Nanning Wuxu International Airport officially opened.
Construction of Terminal 3 began in January 2023, with a designed annual passenger throughput of 34 million. The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
Beside parking facilities and taxis, two airport bus lines connect the airport with the city center: Line No. 1 serving the Chaoyang Road Airline Ticket Office (near the Nanning Railway Station) and Line No. 2 serving Wuxiang Square. The NanningâÂÂPingxiang high-speed railway has a dedicated station at the airport, Wuxu Airport Railway Station.