Kursk Vostochny Airport (Russian: Аэропорт Курск-Восточный) (IATA: URS, ICAO: UUOK), also known as Khalino airbase, Kursk-Khalino, is an interceptor aircraft base in Kursk Oblast, Russia, with a single 2,500 m (8,200 ft) runway located 7 km east of Kursk. It has been used for many decades as a military airbase and has had periods of time when it was also utilized as a commercial airport. It is located 4 miles northeast of Kursk and is considered a medium-sized base, with several alert pads. A civilian tarmac is located on the southern side of the airfield, which utilizes the common runway facilities.
Kursk Vostochny Airport Аэропорт Курск-Восточный | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Civilian, Military | ||||||||||
Owner | Russian Aerospace Forces | ||||||||||
Operator | 6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army | ||||||||||
Location | Kursk, Kursk Oblast, Russia | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 686 ft / 209 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 51°45′6″N 36°17′48″E / 51.75167°N 36.29667°E | ||||||||||
Website | aerokursk.ru | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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History
Khalino airbase was home to:
- 472nd Fighter Aviation Regiment from 4 October 1979 to 1998. Moved in from Orel, Orel Oblast, where it had been stationed from 1950 to 1979. Equipped with Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23P (ASCC: Flogger) or S from 1979. Disbanded 1 May 1998.[full citation needed]
- 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (14 Gv IAP) flying Mikoyan MiG-29 (SMT/UBT) (ASCC: Fulcrum) aircraft, having been relocated from Zherdevka (air base). Now part of the 105th Guards Mixed Aviation Division flying the Sukhoi Su-30SM (NATO: Flanker-H).
All commercial flight activity at the airport was banned by Russian authorities at the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, starting at 03:45 on 24 February 2022.
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 6 December 2022 the airport’s oil storage caught fire. The Kursk governor blamed the fire on a drone strike amid the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On 2 June 2023, Ukrainian sources reported several Su-34 combat aircraft located at the airport were damaged/destroyed, along with a single MiG-29 and a Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system. The information has not yet been verified independently.
Airlines and destinations
RusLine provided limited scheduled commercial service to Moscow–Vnukovo as of 2018, and to Saint Petersburg and Sochi as of 2019. All commercial service at the airport was halted in February 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Statistics
See also
References
External links
- Kursk Airport Official website (in Russian)
- Airport information for UUOK at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- Current weather for UUOK at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for URS at Aviation Safety Network
- 472nd Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO