The Old Airport Before the construction and opening of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, Qingdao Liuting International Airport served as the city's primary aviation hub for nearly four decades, operating until its closure in 2021. Although sometimes described as having an even longer historical lineage, modern commercial operations at Liuting lasted roughly 39 years, during which the airport expanded from a modest regional facility into a major international gateway handling over 25 million passengers annually at its peak. For many years, Liuting Airport—then the largest and busiest airport in Shandong Province—operated under heavy strain. Although it was originally designed to handle 12 million passengers per year, it had already reached full capacity by 2012. By 2019, its actual passenger throughput had grown to more than twice its intended design limit. In September 2019, the airport moved into the large‑scale interior decoration and equipment installation phase, preparing the terminal for operational readiness. By June 2020, the terminal building and all associated civil aviation engineering works had passed completion acceptance, paving the way for final operational testing before the airport's official opening on 12 August 2021. Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport officially opened to the public on 12 August 2021, amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic. ==Facilities==