Our country is famous for its air gate. There is a fairly reasonable opinion that with their help you can easily get to almost any corner of the globe. And Pskov is an airport that can easily serve as a confirmation of this statement. We will talk about him today in more detail.
Section 1. General information about an important strategic object
The airport "Pskov" ("Crosses"), located in a suburb near Pskov, belongs to the international class of service and today accepts aircraft of various types and classifications.
The joint airfield is also subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Pskov is an airport on the territory of which the 334th regiment of military transport aviation of the Russian Federation is located, equipped with Il-76 heavy military aircraft. The parent company is Pskovavia OJSC. The airport serves both domestic and international flights.
In general, Pskov is an airport considered one of the safest in Russia. During the existence of the air transport complex, only a few episodes of emergency occurred at this airport. In the summer of 1969, on an approach by mistake of the ATC services, a head-on collision of the side of the Air Force 334 An-12 Regiment with another An-12 aircraft occurred. All crew members died. In the same year, on October 1, due to difficult weather conditions, the An-12 collided with the tail unit of another An-12 vessel. Only the second pilot survived, who ejected by parachute. In July 1993, a fire occurred on board the IL-76 vessel, which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and the death of the crew. At the crash site of IL-76, a monument was erected from the remains of the aircraft.
Section 2. Pskov - an airport with a long history
The opening of the airport took place in 1944, and in 1975 the terminal building and other production facilities were built. At the end of 1994, the airport began serving international flights.
But in the late 90s, civilian air transportation was practically not carried out. The reason for this was the difficult economic situation in the country and the condition of the aerodrome that did not meet safety standards.
After reconstruction in 2006, the runway increased by 500 meters, equipment was installed that met international standards and the weather meteorological service was modernized. A modern fueling complex was also built. In general, the quality of passenger service has improved.
In 2007, Pskovavia Airlines resumed flights to Moscow and back. And in August 2013, a route opened in the direction of St. Petersburg.
Section 3. Development Prospects
According to experts, Pskov is an airport, which in the future may become a reserve runway for the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg.
This direction was considered at a conference in the press center of the Media Holding of the Pskov Region, which was devoted to the development of the Pskovavia enterprise and aviation in the region. During the meeting, the issue of reviving and expanding passenger flights operated by Pskovavia airline in recent years was also discussed.
By order of President Vladimir Putin, the airline will soon be subordinate to the Pskov region. It is planned to create a company of interregional importance on the basis of Pskovavia, covering the entire North-West Federal District of Russia.
Now, reconstruction is underway on the airport runway, requiring large investments. Upon completion of the work, the issue of a reserve airport for Pulkovo can be considered closed.
Today, Pskov Airport, the schedule of which can be found on its website, is going to purchase two 50-seat Bombardier-200 aircraft.