According to the latest data released by the newspaper RG.RU, by the beginning of the 1990s, speaking about the airfields of Russia, one could proudly call a significant figure of 1450. At the moment, there are only 282. Those to whom this number seems quite impressive, imagine: the same number of airfields operate in only one of the US states - in Alaska. And we have throughout the country. Moreover, many photos of Russian airfields are depressing: it is obvious that their technical condition leaves much to be desired.
Comparison with USA and China
There are 13,500 aerodromes and airports in the United States, carrying out dozens of flights to different points of the Earth every day. Such a developed route network supports the demand for air travel and creates unity of airspace.
At the same time, China created a concept for the development of an aerodrome network, and plans include the construction of 100 airfields annually.
In Russia
Currently, Russia's airfields are closing one after another, leaving residents of some areas, for example, the North and the Far East, without aviation services. The main airport of the Sands air lines, located in Karelia, has recently been closed. But in its place is the construction of cottages.
Another example is the Voronezh aerodrome. In the days of the USSR, planes flew from there every day for a short period of time in any direction. There were 23 flights to Moscow every day, to Kiev - 10, to Sochi - 6, to Simferopol - 2. Now these numbers have decreased by almost 4 times. However, the airfield continues to exist and has not yet shared the fate of a brother in Karelia.
Once the state decided to shift the responsibility in the development of airfields to the market, believing that in a competitive environment without unnecessary worries it will become obvious whether they live or not. The consequences of this decision, apparently, leave much to be desired.
Russian airfields urgently need to be rescued
Finally, it became obvious to the state, and a concept was recently developed for developing a network of airdromes by 2020. The main goal: the development of the transport network, the formation of unity of the airspace and the ability to deliver people to the most remote parts of the Russian Federation.
The plans, according to the adopted concept, include the reconstruction of 103 airfields in Russia. 297 billion rubles have been allocated for financing from the state budget.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of Russia, instructed the Ministry of Transport to build an airport in Tobolsk to make it possible to receive tourists and workers of various enterprises. Indeed, earlier it was problematic to carry out - the nearest airport to the city is in Tyumen, 300 kilometers away.
Russian military airfields
Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, at a regular meeting announced that in recent times 27 aircraft engines have been decommissioned due to the critical condition of the airfields cover and the presence of foreign objects in the engines. It was also said that there are currently 125 military airfields in Russia. Recall: 103 of them, according to the latest plan, must be completely repaired by 2020.
Construction Details
In addition to the airfield in Tobolsk, which should be built soon, military commander Mikhail Evgenievich Mizintsev said that it was necessary to strengthen Russia's military security. For these purposes, the development of infrastructure is already beginning on the territory of the Arctic zone and special military zones are being created. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin ordered the construction of 13 airfields in the Arctic.Construction is being carried out in stages on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Kotelny Island, Alexandra Land, Wrangel Island and Cape Schmidt.
Speaking about the construction of Russian airfields, one cannot ignore the announcement that an airfield will soon appear in the Krasnodar Territory, which will receive military helicopters and airplanes. The military base in Korenovsk will be demolished, since it has long failed to meet the necessary aviation requirements, and the territory is used for a landing strip. 70 years have passed since the day of its construction and there is simply no point in a small reconstruction - everything needs to be done now from scratch. 6.5 billion rubles were allocated from the state budget for construction. For this money, the size of the base will be doubled, numerous hangars and buildings, platforms for expansion, and the latest video surveillance system will be introduced.
