During World War II, the airport was known as Hanchung (Nancheng) Airfield and was used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign (1942–1945). It was used by the Americans as a photo-reconnaissance base for unarmed P-38 Lightning aerial reconnaissance planes, which flew over Japanese-held territory gathering intelligence for the Chinese ground forces.
In World War II, the airport was referred to as Hanchung (Nancheng) Airfield and played a role in the China Defensive Campaign (1942–1945), operated by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force. The Americans utilized it as a location for aerial reconnaissance missions using P-38 Lightning planes to gather information about Japanese-held territories, which was then shared with Chinese ground forces.