Uktus is an airport in the Chkalovsky district of the city of Yekaterinburg. One of the first civil airfields of the Urals, operating since 1923. Recently, the technical condition of the facility has ceased to comply with strict civil aviation standards, and in 2012 it was expelled from the State Register. On the basis of the air squad of the Second Sverdlovsk Air Company, Uktus Airlines JSC was established, which performs private air transportation. Since 2016, the SEZ “Titanium Valley” has been operating in this territory, one of the subjects of which is engaged in the licensed assembly of L-410 short-range aircraft.
What is Uktus Airport
This is the former main civilian airfield of the city of Sverdlovsk, administratively refers to the inner-city district of Chkalovsky. It is located on the northwestern tip of the city of Aramil, 10 km from the south-eastern outskirts of Yekaterinburg and 20 km from its center. Koltsovo Airport was built 5 km north in 1930, today it is the main air gate of the Sverdlovsk Region.
Uktus Airport has co-location status. In particular, it houses the base of the 695th aircraft repair plant of the Russian Ministry of Defense, as well as a separate helicopter squadron of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The facility is located in a convenient location on a flat territory (196 m above sea level). There are 2 runways equipped here:
- asphalt 08/26 1803 long and 40 m wide;
- soil 08/26 1500 long and 70 m wide.
The airfield is designed for takeoff / landing of short- and medium-range aircraft (Yak-40/42, An-12/24), transporters (An-74), helicopters, as well as lighter aircraft.
The beginning of glorious deeds
In 1923, the Russian Society of Friends of the Air Fleet (OVF) was formed. The same year was a milestone in the creation and development of civil aviation in the Urals. Volunteers united by a common impulse raised funds for the purchase of the Red Ural aircraft.
Until the end of 1923, the Ural branch of the United Front Fleet Department decided to purchase three aircraft for campaign flights and communications with the cities of the region. In parallel, the equipment for the landing site in the Uktus tract area began, which later became the base for the Uktus airport - the first in Sverdlovsk. In total, 6.8 million rubles were raised for the purchase of aircraft, for which three Junkers were purchased in Moscow. After the demonstration at the airport, the aircraft was given the names "Red Ural", "Ural Komsomolets" and "Bow".
Prewar period
By the end of the 20s, quite a lot of devices of various designs and colors were flying in the sky over the regional center. The first air line connecting Sverdlovsk with Moscow was opened on July 22, 1928. The Ural pilot Fedor Kononenko became her pioneer. The five-year plan provided for the creation of air lines from Sverdlovsk to Solikamsk, Serov, Tyumen, Magnitogorsk, Perm, Surgut and other cities. All this led to the need to build a regularly operating runway, and by the end of 1928 a decision was made to expand and build infrastructure facilities.
The birthday of Uktus airport is considered January 1, 1932. By this time, the construction of the airfield was completed, which included:
- air terminal;
- garage;
- repair shops;
- gas storage;
- first-aid post;
- weather station;
- wireless telegraph.
Passenger traffic was established primarily with Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk. In terms of size and equipment, Uktus was one of the main airports of the USSR.
During the Second World War, many Uktus pilots served on the fronts of the war or went on business trips. In honor of their dedicated work and feats of arms, a monument was unveiled to workers at Uktus Airport.
Post-war years
The beginning of the development of helicopter aviation took place with the Mi-1 and Mi-4 helicopters, the serial production of which began in 1956. They were used for geophysical surveys, in air ambulance, forest patrols, aircraft chemical works and other types of special applications.
In winter 1966, the crew of the spacecraft with astronauts aboard Belyaev and Leonov deviated from the given landing trajectory, and landed in the taiga of the Perm Region. In search of the astronauts, the Uktus crew of the Mi-4 helicopter flew under the command of Lviv. A descent vehicle with the astronauts was discovered, and he was dumped warm clothing and food supplies.
In the years 1960-1970, the intensity of flights was constantly increasing. Up to 50 civilian flights and more were carried out per day, excluding helicopter departures. By this time, the area around the airfield was densely built up with city blocks. There was a need to move the object beyond the borders of Sverdlovsk. In 1984, the construction of a new runway in Aramil was completed. In 1985, Uktus airport was relocated to the established site near Aramil.
As the economic and political climate in the country worsened, the number of flights was constantly decreasing. By 1991, the intensity decreased to 30 sorties per day, and this is in the high summer season. In winter, their number was even less.
Latest time
In 1995, a global reconstruction began at the airport. In general, the entire activity of the enterprise began to change - the goal was the development of business aviation. In a rather short time, the flight and ground crews mastered the operation of the Yak-40 and An-74 aircraft.
However, the situation could not be called rosy. In 1996, the number of departures of Uktus Airport OJSC did not exceed 10 per week. The main vehicle was the An-2 and An-24. Since 2002, the operation of a new comfortable An-74 aircraft, which meets all the requirements of international flights, began in Uktus. The first flight was carried out on November 1, 2002 under the guidance of pilot instructor V. A. Kuryan.
In 2004, attempts were made to revive the activities of the airfield. The terminal building was updated, the runway was modernized, and navigation equipment was replaced. Yak-40 and An-74 aircraft carried out charter flights, including abroad. However, despite the renewal of the fleet, in 2012 the Second Sverdlovsk Airlines was declared bankrupt.
Current state
Today, the Uktus airport is going through hard times. Tighter requirements for regional air transportation led to the termination of domestic scheduled flights. At the same time, the territory allows you to expand and lengthen the runway. Repeatedly hatched plans for the modernization and reconstruction of the complex, but ambitious projects have not yet been implemented.
In order to preserve the facility, a special economic zone “Titanium Valley” was created on its basis. A number of industries have been launched in technical facilities and hangars, including the production of multipurpose 19-seater Let 410 Turbolet aircraft, Diamond DA 40 light-engine aircraft. Uktus also operates private commercial flights.