Most people know that Moscow has three international airports - Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo. But there is another hub that few people know about. This is the Ostafyevo airfield. From its very foundation, the air harbor has been shrouded in secrets of national importance. And now information about the airfield rarely leaks out. Nevertheless, this air harbor has international status. That is, there are border and customs controls. In this article we tried to collect all the information about the mysterious airfield, from which no less mysterious military and civilian aircraft depart. Where is this airborne harbor located? How to get to it from the center of Moscow? What amenities will you find in the terminal? We will talk about all this below.
Where is the Ostafyevo airdrome located
The official address of this air harbor is Ryazanovskoye settlement. But this point, although located twelve kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road, has long become an integral part of the Russian capital. Now it is the Novomoskovsk administrative district. The airfield is located three kilometers west of the Shcherbinka railway station. And 9 km south of it is the town of Podolsk. Very close to the air harbor is the South-Western administrative district of Moscow, or rather - the area of South Butovo.
In a straight line from Ostafyevo to the center of Moscow - 30 kilometers, and on highways - 35. Such proximity to Red Square makes the airfield popular for business aviation. In principle, it is currently used primarily by her. There are two ways to get to the airfield. It leads from the Moscow Ring Road through the village of Kommunarka. The second is laid from the M-3 "Ukraine". It follows through the settlements of Sosenki, Yamontovo and Kommunarka.
History of the Ostafyevo airfield near Moscow
Fate itself ordered that this place be somehow connected with aeronautics. In the 19th century, the village of Ostafyevo belonged to the princely family of Vyazemsky. Its representatives were not alien to art and science. So, from the estate of Ostafyevo, Princess P. Gagarin rose to the sky in a balloon. And it happened in 1803! After that, the balloon was stored for a long time in the Vyazemsky estate. But the Ostafyevo airfield dates back to 1934, when the land was transferred to the NKVD. Due to the secrecy of this service, we have a minimum of information about how this hub worked.
The situation has become somewhat clearer since February 1942, when the already functioning “special purpose airfield” was transferred to the Main Directorate of the Air Force. However, the army is also not a structure that loves openness and publicity. It is known that here during the war years the 17th long-range aviation division was based.
Post war history
The airfield was further operated by the military. Here, training flights and machine tests were carried out, such as, for example, "blind landing air - mainland" and others. But with the collapse of the Soviet Union, hard times came for the airfield. Moscow city authorities even had plans to raze the airfield and buildings to build residential areas here. But the airdrome happily survived the difficult years of the 1990s, and not without the help of Gazprom. This structure has carried out a complete reconstruction of an old airfield. Not only that: she erected there all the necessary buildings and introduced the amenities required by standards for obtaining the status of an international airport.
The military continues to be based in this hub. In particular, there is the composition of the 7050 Guards Aviation Group (a division of the Northern Fleet of Russian Maritime Aviation). But at the same time, the international airport of federal significance Ostafyevo (such is its modern official name) serves civilian aircraft. These aircraft are owned by Gazprom Avia LLC. Ground handling is provided by the Aviapartner handler.
Air Harbor Specifications
Until 1995 (that is, until the time of reconstruction of the Gazprom hub) there was one runway with a length of 1,520 meters. And not all of it was covered with concrete. After leasing by Gazprom, the following runways of the Ostafyevo aerodrome appeared :
- Reinforced concrete (2050 m long and 48 m wide).
- Ground (1500 in length and 48 m, respectively, in width)
Platforms for aircraft parking, navigation, radio engineering and other structures, heated hangars, an own electrical system and autonomous water supply from underground wells were built. In 2000, the Ostafyevo terminal was built and commissioned for passenger transportation of VIP clients. These technical characteristics allow the air harbor to accept ships of the configuration of An-24, Tu-134, Yak-40 and 42, Il-18, An-74, An-12, Falcon-900B, other types of aircraft of the third and fourth classes, as well as all types of helicopters. The airport operates year-round, day and night.
Facilities
The terminal of the Ostafyevo aerodrome is small, but very comfortable. After all, it was built for the needs of business aviation. The airport capacity is small: 70 people on domestic flights and 40 on international flights. But the congestion of the hub is scanty. Therefore, VIP passengers can very quickly go through all pre- and post-flight procedures. To wait for boarding a flight, there is a very comfortable lounge with upholstered leather furniture. And right in front of the terminal building there is ample parking for cars. In the general lobby of the airport there are ATMs, ticket offices, cafes.
Airport Expansion Plans
In the very beginning of the 2000s, the city authorities wanted to close the hub altogether, because, in their opinion, it interfered with the development of the South Butovo district. Gazprom had its own vision of the future airport. To date, the plans of the Moscow authorities include not closing the hub for business passengers, but laying convenient motorways to it. And, as they say, even metro lines. Gazprom also fulfills its part of the responsibilities for the reconstruction of the airport. So, it is planned to extend the reinforced concrete runway to two and a half kilometers and, accordingly, update taxiways. Now a hotel is being built near the airport. Perhaps they will increase the number of hangars and aircraft parking lots, improve the general infrastructure of the air harbor.