Sevastopol International Airport
Encyclopedia
"Belbek" Sevastopol International Airport is AN airport in Belbek, near Sevastopol
, Ukraine
.
. 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 thousand 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 based 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade flies the MiG-29.
- 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.
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
History
The airfield was first constructed in June 1941, during the first year of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. 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
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
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
Dacha
Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence...
on the southern coast of the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, near the cape of Foros
Foros, Ukraine
Foros is a resort townlet in Crimea, Ukraine. Located at around near Cape Sarych, Foros is the southernmost resort in the Crimea.The settlement was founded and named by medieval Greek merchants. It was rediscovered in the late 19th century by Alexander Kuznetsov, a Russian "tea king" who had his...
. 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 thousand 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 based 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 SimferopolSimferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
- Sevastopol/Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
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.