The site began airfield operations in late 1922 under the
Beiyang government. In the early 1930s, the main, semi circular
Art Deco terminal was built, along with the main
ATC tower on the top of the main terminal, which still exists today, making it the last structure still remaining on what was once the airport. In the 1930s-1940s, during its golden age, the airport was known as the most popular airport for
amphibious aircraft and the biggest airport of the
Far East at the time. After the
Battle of Shanghai,
Imperial Japanese Airways operated services from Longhua to Fukuoka and Taipei during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Additionally, the tarmac was expanded to accommodate at least 100 aircraft (before 1937, only 10 airplanes could be parked at the tarmac), 2 gravel runways were added, making Longhua Airport one of China's first airports with more than one runway built. After the end of
World War II, basic equipment such as power supply, radar, and communication systems were renovated and improved. Hence, the airport became a hub for
China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC), as well as a famous stopover for many international airlines flying to Hong Kong, China, or Japan.
Northwest Orient Airlines began service to Longhua in 1947, stopping there en route from the
United States and
Japan to the
Philippines, and flew this route until suspending service in 1949.
Hong Kong Airways began scheduled service to Hong Kong in 1948. The
People's Liberation Army took over the facility in 1949 following the
Kuomintang Civil War, and maintained it as a civil airport until 1966 when all remaining passenger services were moved to
Hongqiao. A flying school used the old hangars of the airport. A single runway (18/36) is now built over and the old terminal in now surrounded by apartments. Although the runway no longer exists and a helipad is built nearby, an Ilysuhin
Il-14 (formerly
CAAC Airlines), an
Antonov An-24 (formerly
China Eastern Airlines), and 2 Chinese built
Antonov An-2 (formerly used as a general aviation in the 1960s) still existed on the tarmac, although they are no longer usable.
KLM's first flight ever to Shanghai occurred in 1948, when it landed at Longhua after stopovers in Bangkok and Djakarta. Services halted in the Communist revolution and resumed again in 1996, which was then already operating at
Hongqiao. == Former airlines and destinations ==