The Chinese internet was awash last week with rumors that “Suzhou finally has an airport!”
However, to the disappointment of many, there is in fact no new airport in Suzhou.
The rumors appeared to stem from netizens sharing screenshots and photos online which showed ‘Wuxi-Suzhou Airport’ on flight bookings and on flight tickets, among other places.
A screenshot appearing to show a flight to 'Wuxi-Suzhou Airport Terminal 2.' Image via Weibo/@政中评论
The official name of the airport in question is in fact Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport – the 3-letter code of which is WUX. As the name suggests, the airport is not in Suzhou, but in the neighboring city of Wuxi.
As the fake news started to spread on Chinese social media platform Weibo, airport authorities were quick to put out a press release stating that the airport had not changed its name, reports Yangzi Evening Times (扬子晚报).
Furthermore, the statement also included no mention of a “new airport in Suzhou.”
Both Ctrip and Trip.com show the name of the airport as 'Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport,' as of press time. Screengrabs via That's/Alistair Baker-Brian
Why the name of the airport was listed as ‘Wuxi-Suzhou Airport’ and not the official name of Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport remains something of a mystery.
As well as domestic destinations, Sunan Shuofang Airport used to also include international flights to Japan and South Korea, as well as flights to China’s Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.
As of press time, there doesn’t appear to be any international flights available from the airport.
It may come as a surprise to many that Suzhou city does in fact have an airport – Suzhou Guangfu Airport – the 3-letter code of which is SZV.
According to Baike, there were commercial flights from Guangfu Airport to destinations including Guangzhou and Foshan in Guangdong province until 2002.
Since that time, however, the airport has been used solely for military purposes.
For those of you living in Suzhou and looking to get away, I guess you’ll have to head to Wuxi or make the slightly longer journey to Hongqiao or Pudong.
[Cover image via Pixabay]
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