Uktus is an airport in the Chkalovsky district of the city of Yekaterinburg. One of the first civilian airfields in the Urals, which has been operating since 1923. Recently, the technical condition of the facility no longer meets the strict civil aviation standards, and in 2012 it was excluded from the State Register. On the basis of the squadron of the Second Sverdlovsk Aviation Enterprise, Uktus Airline JSC was created, 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 short-haul aircraft L-410.
What is Uktus Airport
This is the former main civil airfield of the city of Sverdlovsk, administratively belongs to the Chkalovsky intracity district. It is located on the northwestern tip of the city of Aramil, 10 km from the southeastern outskirts of Yekaterinburg and 20 km from its center. Koltsovo Airport was built 5 km to the north in 1930, today it is the main air gate of the Sverdlovsk Region.
Uktus Airport has the status of joint basing. In particular, herethe base of the 695th Aviation Repair Plant of the Russian Ministry of Defense is located, as well as a separate helicopter squadron of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The facility is located in a convenient location, on a flat area (196 m above sea level). There are 2 runways here:
- asph alt-concrete 08/26 1803 long and 40 m wide;
- ground 08/26 1500 long and 70 m wide.
The airfield is designed for takeoff/landing of short and medium-haul aircraft (Yak-40/42, An-12/24), transport workers (An-74), helicopters, as well as lighter aircraft.
The beginning of glorious deeds
In 1923, the Russian Society of Friends of the Air Fleet (ODVF) was formed. The same year became 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 Krasny Ural aircraft.
Until the end of 1923, the Ural branch of the ODVF decides to purchase three aircraft for propaganda flights and communications with the cities of the region. At the same time, the equipment of the landing site in the area of the Uktussky tract began, which later became the base for the Uktus airport, the first in Sverdlovsk. In total, 6.8 million rubles were collected for the purchase of aircraft, for which three Junkers were purchased in Moscow. After the demonstration at the airfield, the aircraft were given the names "Red Ural", "Ural Komsomolets" and "Smychka".
Pre-war period
By the end of the 1920s, there were alreadyquite a lot of devices of various designs and colors. On July 22, 1928, the first air line was opened, linking Sverdlovsk with Moscow. Its pioneer was the Ural pilot Fedor Kononenko. The five-year plan provided for the creation of overhead 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 it and build infrastructure facilities.
The birthday of Uktus Airport is January 1, 1932. By this time, the construction of the airfield was completed, which included:
- air terminal;
- garage;
- repair shops;
- gas depot;
- first-aid post;
- weather station;
- radio telegraph.
Passenger communication was established primarily with Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk. In terms of size and equipment, Uktus was one of the main airports in the USSR.
During the Second World War, many Uktus pilots served on the war fronts or went on business trips. In honor of their selfless work and military exploits, a monument to the employees of the Uktus airport was unveiled.
Post-war years
The development of helicopter aviation began 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, aerial chemical work and other types ofspecial applications.
In winter 1966, the crew of the spacecraft with cosmonauts on board Belyaev and Leonov deviated from the intended landing trajectory and landed in the taiga of the Perm region. The Uktus crew of the Mi-4 helicopter under the command of Lvov flew out to search for the astronauts. The descent vehicle with the astronauts was found, and they were dropped warm clothes and a supply of food.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the intensity of flights was constantly increasing. Up to 50 civil flights or more were carried out per day, not counting helicopter flights. By this time, the area around the airfield was densely built up with city blocks. It became necessary to move the object beyond the borders of Sverdlovsk. In 1984, the construction of a new runway in Aramil was completed. In 1985, the Uktus airport moved to a site near Aramil.
As the economic and political climate in the country worsened, the number of flights was constantly decreasing. By 1991, the intensity had decreased to 30 sorties a day, and this was during the high summer season. In winter, their number was even smaller.
Recent Times
In 1995, the airport began a global reconstruction. In general, the entire activity of the enterprise began to change - the goal was the development of business aviation. The flight and ground personnel mastered the operation of the Yak-40 and An-74 aircraft in a fairly short time.
However, the situation could not be called rosy. In 1996, the number of departures of JSC "Airport Uktus" did not exceed 10 per week. Mainthe vehicles were An-2 and An-24. Since 2002, the operation of a new comfortable An-74 aircraft has begun in Uktus, which meets all the requirements of international flights. The first flight was made on November 1, 2002 under the control of pilot-instructor V. A. Kurtyan.
In 2004, attempts were made to revive the activities of the airfield. The terminal building was renovated, the runway was modernized, navigation equipment was replaced. Yak-40 and An-74 planes carried out charter flights, including those abroad. However, despite the renewal of the flight fleet, in 2012 the Second Sverdlovsk Aviation Enterprise was declared bankrupt.
Current State
Today, Uktus Airport is going through hard times. The tightening of requirements for regional air transportation has led to the cessation of domestic scheduled flights. At the same time, the territory allows you to expand and lengthen the runway. Plans have been repeatedly hatched for the modernization and reconstruction of the complex, but ambitious projects have not yet been implemented.
In order to preserve the object, a special economic zone "Titanium Valley" was created on its basis. A number of production facilities have been launched in technical rooms and hangars, including the production of multi-purpose 19-seat Let 410 Turbolet aircraft, light-engine Diamond DA 40 aircraft. Uktus airline also operates private commercial flights.
