| Xining Caojiapu International Airport | |
| Nativename-A: | Chinese: {{nobold|西宁曹家堡国际机场 |
| Iata: | XNN |
| Icao: | ZLXN |
| City-Served: | Xining and Haidong Qinghai |
| Location: | Huzhu County, Qinghai |
| Metric-Elev: | y |
| Elevation-M: | 2,170 |
| Coordinates: | 36.5275°N 102.0428°W |
| Operator: | China West Airport Group |
| Pushpin Map: | China Qinghai#China |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Qinghai##Location in China |
| Pushpin Label: | XNN |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Metric-Rwy: | y |
| R1-Number: | 11/29 |
| R1-Length-M: | 3,800 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | 2021 |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 5,864,258 |
| Stat2-Header: | Aircraft movements |
| Stat2-Data: | 57,020 |
| Stat3-Header: | Freight (in tonnes) |
| Stat3-Data: | 33,820.8 |
| Footnotes: | Source: List of the busiest airports in China, GCM, STV |
| Order: | st |
| P: | Xīníng Cáojiāpǔ Guójì Jīchǎng |
Xining Caojiapu International Airport, is an airport serving Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, China. It is located in Huzhu County, Haidong, on the Tibetan Plateau about east of downtown Xining. The airport began operation in 1991. In October 2011, a new 3,800-meter runway entered service. The older runway now serves as a taxiway.[1] [2]
The first airport in the area was located near the town of Lejiawan, west of the current airport. Built on the orders of warlord Ma Bufang in 1931,[3] it saw limited use by commercial airlines in 1933. In 1957, the runway was expanded to and more facilities were added. A commercial route flew between Xining, Lanzhou, Baotou, and Beijing with fewer than 1,000 passengers per year. The airport was shared with the military.[4]
In 1975, plans were made to relocate the airport, as the Lejiawan Airport was limited by a one-way gravel runway. Construction of Caojiapu airport was approved by the State Council on 17 May 1985 and started in 1989. The airport opened in December 1991. The site of the former airport is now a military base.