History
Hengyang Nanyue Airport began site selection in 2008 and received approval documents from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in January 2009. Hengyang Nanyue Airport covered an area of 2,247 acres and involved 26 villager groups in the four villages of Dongwu, Puxian, Shanfeng and Gutang in Yunji Town, Hengnan County. In December 2010, it received project approval from the State Council and the Central Military Commission. In 2011, the state implemented macro-control and controlled the approval of new investment projects, and the project was temporarily shelved. On February 22, 2012, the feasibility study report of Nanyue Airport was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, and construction can officially begin. On May 30, 2012, Hengyang Nanyue Airport held its official ground‑breaking ceremony, marking the start of a major infrastructure project included in China’s national Twelfth Five‑Year Plan. With a total investment of 656.17 million yuan, the airport was designed as a domestic regional facility built to Class 4C flight area standards, with the capacity to upgrade to Class 4D. The newly-built runway is 2,600 meters long and 45 meters wide, with a taxiway of 160.5‑meter long and 18‑meter‑wide, an apron of 31,000 square meters, a terminal building of 14,300 square meters and 5 parking spaces, which can guarantee the take-off and landing of Airbus 320, Boeing 738 and below models. The project was scheduled for a two‑year construction period, with the airport expected to open to air traffic in early 2014. In 2017, the passenger throughput was 479,000. In 2018, passenger throughput reached 816,000, far exceeding the original design capacity of 450,000 passengers. In 2019, Hengyang's aviation market far exceeded development expectations. The airport reconstruction and expansion originally planned to be implemented in 2025 started early that year and was officially put into use in 2021. After the reconstruction and expansion, the parking spaces will be increased to 11, the fire protection and medical rescue protection levels will be upgraded to level 7 and level 6 respectively, and the annual passenger throughput will be increased to 2 million. ==Facilities==