On 13 September 1971, Marshall Lin Biao, China's Vice Premier and Minister of Defense, attempted to flee China in his Hawker Siddeley Trident from Shanhaiguan Airport, allegedly following a failed coup attempt.

For a time starting in 2007, it temporarily operated international flights to Yakutsk and Blagoveshchensk in Russia.

Throughout the thirty years the airport maintained a perfect safety record.

[3] As a result, the new Qinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport was proposed in 2004, and received approval from the State Council in July 2009.

Shanhaiguan Airport reverted to sole military use,[3] although there are plans to use it for general aviation.