Sevastopol International Airport
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"Belbek" Sevastopol International Airport Міжнародний аеропорт "Бельбек" Международный аэропорт "Бельбек" | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public, Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine | ||||||||||
| Operator | Ltd. "Aeroport Belbek" | ||||||||||
| Serves | Sevastopol  | ||||||||||
| Location | 9 km (5.6 mi) N of Sevastopol | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 44°41′N 33°35′E / 44.683°N 33.583°E | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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  Sevastopol | |||||||||||
"Belbek" Sevastopol International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Бельбек"; Russian: Международный аэропорт "Бельбек", г.Севастополь) (IATA: UKS, ICAO: UKFB) is an international airport in Belbek, near Sevastopol, Ukraine.
History
The airfield was first constructed in June 1941, during the third year of World War II. Initially it housed a military fighter aviation unit. Constructed without a hardened runway, after the war the airfield received a concrete runway, but remained exclusively in use by the military. During the second half of the 1980s, after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, the airfield was significantly increased and improved, as the airfield was to be used by him when travelling to the presidential dacha on the southern coast of the Crimea, near the cape of Foros. Subsequently it was also allowed to use the airfield for civilian purposes.
The original name of the airport comes from the Belbek river, in the south-west of Crimea. The airfield is located next to the coast, in the Nakhimovsky area of Sevastopol, north of the city center, close to the adjacent neighborhood Lyubimovka.
Since July 2002, the airfield has been in use also for civil aviation. In December 2002, the airport received a license for international flights. Between 2002 and 2007 over 2,500 flights were carried out, which transported about 25,000 passengers.
During 2007, civil flights were suspended again. However, during spring 2009 it was announced that resumption of air links was to commence in the near future. To date, the civil service has not started yet.
Military use of airport continues to this day, being a military fighter airbase. During 1996, the Su-15TM's were replaced by the Su-27, and currently the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade flies the MiG-29.
Specifications
The runway of Belbek airport has a size of 3007 × 48 m, class - B, and is designed to receive aircraft of all types. The maximum takeoff weight of an aircraft is unlimited. The classification of coverings - 34/R/A/X/T. Magnetic course landing is 065/245. Lighting - "Luch-2MU.
Transportation
The airport is located 2.5 km. from the "Belbek Airport" interchange on the Simferopol - Sevastopol/Yalta motorway, near Fruktovoe Village on territorial of Nakhimovsky area. The distance to the south of Sevastopol is 20 km and 9 km from Zaharova Square (main square of the north side of Sevastopol. The distance to the Simferopol is 50 km and is about 110 km. from Yalta. To get to airport from the center of Sevastopol by public transport, it is necessary to cross Sevastopol Bay on the boat from the Grafskaya harbor to the Zaharova Square (north side of Sevastopol). Then the bus following the route number 36 "North side - Kacha Village" to get to the bus stop "Belbek - Sevastopol International Airport". The fare on the boat is 2.50 UAH and is 5 UAH - the fare on the bus. Length of the road in about 40–50 minutes. The city plans to carry a railroad Sevastopol-Simferopol slightly west, closer to the airport.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Dniproavia | Seasonal: KIev-Boryspil,[1] Moscow-Domodedovo[1] |
Russian military presence
On 28 February 2014, Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov claimed that the airport was blocked by Russian Military personnel, and unidentified armed men are patrolling the area. He said through his Twitter account that, "I can only describe this as a military invasion and occupation". The Russian Foreign Ministry refused to comment while a spokesman for the Russian defense ministry was not available for comment.[2][3]
11th March, 2014, there was established a new website ( http://www.belbek62.com.ua/ ) by the military personnel to report directly, of what have happened and is happening. According to the website, there has been a fire on the airport on the part of the military area, воинская часть А-4515, where is the electrical equipment, where the unknown soldiers had guarded it. [4]
14th March, 2014, colonel Yulya Mamtchura (Юлия Мамчура) made an appeal in YouTube to the goverment of Ukraine, that it should give written orders to all the Ukrainian troops on the Crimean peninsula. In case he will not receive the orders, he and the 204th tactical brigade will fight, even if they can not withstand for a long time. [5]
The 204th tactical brigage has been to Belbek since December, 2007 in the military area number A4515 (воинская часть A-4515) [6]
See also
- List of the busiest airports in the former USSR
- List of airports in Ukraine
- Transportation in Ukraine
References
- ^ a b "Summer schedule is valid until 26.10.2013". Dniproavia. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/ukraine-crisis-idUKL6N0LX0CG20140228
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10666742/Ukraine-accuses-Russia-of-armed-invasion-after-Crimea-airports-blockaded.html
- ^ http://www.belbek62.com.ua/
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uyb-LBm-M8
- ^ http://gazeta.sebastopol.ua/2013/09/27/sevastopolskoj-brigade-takticheskoj-aviatsii-prisvoeno-imja-aleksandra-pokryshkina/