In the West Kazakhstan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at an altitude of 38 meters above sea level, Uralsk International Airport is located. It is located in close proximity (16 km) from the city in the Terektinsky district. For several decades in a row, it has been the westernmost air harbor of the Kazakh Republic. Every year, an increasing number of customers - traveling, business travelers and other categories of passengers - resort to the services of the airport.
Uralsk Airport: classification and flight directions
In accordance with the international classification, the aerodrome is assigned class 2, which means the ability of its runway to receive such aircraft as the Boeing 737 and Boeing 757, IL-14 and IL-18, An - 2, 12, 24, 26, 30, Tu - 134 and 154, Yak - 40, 42, as well as L-410 and almost all types of helicopters, that is, air transport, the mass of which does not exceed 140 tons.
The airport (Uralsk city) is currently cooperating with two airlines: international terminals are served by Air Astana, and domestic terminals are also operated by SCAT. Today, the services of residents of Uralsk and surrounding areas offer transfers to the most important cities of the country, as well as flights to the Russian Federation, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, India and the UK.
Infrastructure and Services
The transport infrastructure allows passengers arriving from Almaty or Astana to easily reach the Uralsk railway station by bus, the stop of which is located at the airport. Fans of more comfortable trips can use the services of private taxis, whose parking is also located near the exit of the Uralsk airport terminal. The old airport, of course, requires serious reconstruction, and the city authorities are doing their best to gradually tidy up the building and landing strips.
Owners of private vehicles are given the opportunity to use the indoor parking. The territory of the airport terminal is equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable flight expectation: luggage storage, first-aid post, mother and child rooms, fast food and currency exchange points.
Features of the runway of the Uralsk airport
The airport (repair, or rather the reconstruction of runways, was launched back in 2014) still does not meet the requirements of international commissions, which is a significant obstacle to the adoption of international air liners. Unfortunately, at present, despite the efforts of the airport management to reconstruct and update the cover of the runway, it is currently not possible.
So, in October 2015, another attempt was made to speed up restoration work, for which all day flights were canceled, and the airport worked only in the morning and evening hours. Urgent measures to troubleshoot the runway (artificial runway) were taken by both the general contractor and the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the daytime, work was done on filling the runway joints, arranging the lanes with light-signaling equipment and repairing other elements that the Uralsk airport was equipped with.
However, after 2 months, the acceptance of the runway by the committee of the Civil Aviation Committee did not take place. The reason for this was the detection of significant defects. The specialists included in the commission found the radar installation, the equipment of which was used by the RSA Kazaeronavigation, to be unsatisfactory.
Reconstruction Results
In general, after the reconstruction, Uralsk Airport still underwent changes. The dimensions of the runway increased by 400 meters in length and 3 meters in width. This year, the repair of the parking lot and taxiway will be completed, the construction of a transformer substation and emergency station has been completed. This, incidentally, is one of the most important nodes of the Uralsk airport, since several times its runway was forced to receive international airliners that made an emergency landing here. Repeatedly landed on the Uralsk airfield and other aircraft, saving the lives of thousands of citizens of the republic and guests of the country. Considering such an active use of the airport as an emergency stopping point along the route of long-distance routes, the management takes all necessary measures to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers arriving in Uralsk.