Simferopol International Airport

Simferopol International Airport^[1] is an airport located in Simferopol, de facto the capital of the Republic of Crimea. Built in 1936, the airport today has one international terminal and one domestic terminal.

Simferopol International Airport Міжнародний аеропорт "Сімферополь" Международный аэропорт "Симферополь" Aqmescit Halqara Ava Limanı
IATA: SIP ICAO: UKFF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Serves	Simferopol, Crimea
Elevation AMSL	597 ft / 182 m
Coordinates	45°03′07″N 33°58′25″E / 45.05194°N 33.97361°E / 45.05194; 33.97361
Website	new.sipaero.ru/en/
Map
UKFF Location of the airport in Crimea Show map of Crimea UKFF Location of the airport in Europe Show map of Europe
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 01/19 3,701 12,142 Concrete
Statistics (2021)
Passengers 6,830,000 AIP of the Russian Federation URFF

On 14 May 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted to rename it Amet-khan Sultan International Airport in memory of Amet-khan Sultan,^[2] despite that Russia occupied Crimea and controlled the airport since 2014. Another airport named after Amet-khan Sultan is Uytash Airport located in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia. However, in 2018, Russian citizens voted for the airport to be named after the painter Ivan Aivazovsky after Amet-khan's name was not allowed in the list of final three options to vote for despite being the most popular in the preliminary round of voting.^[3][4][5]

Since the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, the airport is only used for flights to and from Russian airports due to limited international recognition of the annexation.

History

 

Simferopol Airport from above (2012)

 

Simferopol International Airport inactive terminal B inside after reconstruction

 

Check-in desks and wall with natural plants

 

Check-in zone

On 21 January 1936, the Council of People's Commissars of the Crimean Autonomous Republic decided to allocate land and begin construction of the Simferopol Airport. Simferopol to Moscow flights began in May 1936. Before the Second World War, regular air travel was established between Simferopol and Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other airports. In 1957, a terminal was commissioned. Lighting equipment was installed on a dirt runway and IL-12, IL-14, and Mi-4 aircraft began landing at the airport. In 1960, a concrete runway with an apron and parking areas was constructed. The airport began to operate around the clock and in adverse weather conditions, using new aircraft such as Antonov An-10 and IL-18. In the 1950s and 1960s, the AN-2 carried cargo and passenger flights to regional centers of the Crimea, and the Mi-4 flew to Yalta. In the summer of 1960, a squadron of Tu-104 was organized for the first time in Ukrainian SSR. Starting in 1964, the An-24 was based at the airport.

Construction of the second runway, designed for IL-86, IL-76, IL-62, and Tu-154 aircraft, began in 1977. On 19 May 1982, Simferopol airport was the first in Ukrainian SSR to have a wide-IL-86. In subsequent years, this type of aircraft made an average of 5.6 daily flights to Moscow. In the summer of 1989, the airport was designated as a "western alternate airport" for landing the Buran spacecraft. In the early 2000s, the old runway 01R/19L (length 2700 m, PCN 22/R/B/X/T, accommodating a maximum weight of aircraft of 98 tonnes) was taken out of service because of its insufficient length and strength. Since then, it has been used as taxiway D with a length of 2100 m (the remaining 600 meters are unsuitable for taxiing). The second runway (01/19) is now in operation and is longer, wider and accommodates heavier aircraft.

 

Armed men without insignia at the airport on 28 February 2014

Following the 2014 Crimean crisis pro-Russian forces took control of the airport on 28 February 2014. Crimean airspace was closed and air traffic was disrupted for two days.^[6][7] On 11 March, Russian forces^{[citation needed]} took over the control tower and closed Crimean airspace until the end of week. Ukraine International Flight PS65 was denied landing and diverted to Kyiv.^[8][9] With the Russian Takeover of the Airport, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expressed concerns about the safety of international flights in the region and recommended airlines to avoid Crimean airspace. By the same token on 3 March 2014, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), who also did not recognize the unilateral takeover of Ukrainian airspace by another country, had confirmed that the majority of transitional air routes have been closed, in accordance with the Chicago Convention. Ukrainian airlines also suspended routes to Simferopol.^[10]

Under the Russian control (Russia not being a member of Eurocontrol), the airport operates flights only to destinations in Russia. In June 2014, Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a Government resolution No.960^[11] to open the airport for international flights, however, as of March 2016 no international flights were operated.^{[citation needed]} On 29 July 2014, Rosaviation granted Chechen airline Grozny Avia permission to operate nonstop flights from Simferopol to the Armenian capital of Yerevan and Turkish cities of Istanbul and Antalya. However, these flights were technically domestic since they operated with a stopover in Anapa. Both of the routes were suspended the same year.^[12]

In May 2015, the Ukrainian Parliament voted in favor of renaming the Simferopol airport in honor of the Crimean-Tatar war hero Amet-khan Sultan. The airport's management team has responded that the authority to decree such changes is vested in the Russian government, and that they do not feel the need to respond to the Ukrainian parliament's ruling.^[13] Russian State Duma deputy, Vasiliy Likhachyov, has also released a statement dismissing this ruling as having no official authority.^[14]

In May 2016, construction began of a new terminal building, with a larger hall on a wave-like structure and 8 gates for flights. The new terminal was opened on 16 April 2018, with the first arrival at 8:30 AM of Nordwind Airlines from Moscow-Sheremetyevo, followed by other flights. The terminal was previously checked by 400 volunteers on 12 April 2018. The current terminal will be for VIP, business passengers and some space is going to be converted to the trolleybus and bus terminal.^[15][16]

This new terminal is 1 km west from the old terminal, between the main runway and the old one, making the eastern part of the airport useless. Eventually, the old runway (01R/19L) will be rebuilt and, with the runways being spaced >1 km apart, would be capable of parallel runway operations, like at Domodedovo, Berlin or Munich. The new terminal has 8 gates to air-bridges and 8 gates to apron buses, 16 escalators and 28 lifts, 55 check-in counters and the airport terminal is able to handle 6 million passenger annually.^[17][18]

In 2021, the airport became the sixth busiest one in territory occupied by Russia with 6.83 million passengers transiting through the airport, only behind the 3 Moscow airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo), St Petersburg's Pulkovo and Sochi/Adler airport.^[19]

Airlines and destinations

From March 2014 onwards, all flights to/from Simferopol Airport with the exception of flights originating from Russia were cancelled due to Crimea's annexation by the Russian Federation. A flight to Istanbul, Turkey, was operated on 19 July 2014, and a flight to Yerevan, Armenia, was operated on 16 November 2014^[20] by Grozny Avia, a Chechen airline. Technically both of these flights were not international because they had a stopover in Anapa Airport.^[21][22]

Dobrolyot, a Russian government-owned low-cost airline, was sanctioned by the European Union for operating flights to Simferopol. The airline was forced to close less than two months after it started operations.

As of 24 February 2022, all flights are suspended due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroflot	Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo,^[23] Moscow–Sheremetyevo Seasonal: Krasnodar^[24]
Alrosa	Seasonal: Novosibirsk, Ufa
Azimuth	Elista,^[25] Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Rostov-on-Don^[26]
Ikar	Seasonal: Belgorod,^[27] Cheboksary,^[27] Kirov,^[27] Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo, Magnitogorsk,^[27] Novosibirsk,^[28] Ulyanovsk–Baratayevka,^[27] Volgograd^[27]
IrAero	Saratov^[29]
Izhavia^[30]	Seasonal: Cheboksary, Kirov, Nizhnekamsk, Penza
Kosmos Airlines	Seasonal: Novokuznetsk, Tomsk
Kostroma Avia	Seasonal: Kostroma, Voronezh
Nordwind Airlines	Seasonal: Magnitogorsk,^[31] Ufa
Red Wings Airlines	Moscow–Domodedovo, Saint Petersburg Seasonal: Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen,^[32] Ufa
RusLine	Voronezh Seasonal: Kursk, Penza,^[33] Ulyanovsk–Baratayevka, Volgograd
S7 Airlines^[34]	Irkutsk,^[35] Moscow–Domodedovo, Novosibirsk Seasonal: Ivanovo,^[34] Kurgan,^[34] Lipetsk^[34]
Severstal Air Company	Seasonal: Cherepovets, Petrozavodsk^[36]
Smartavia	Seasonal: Arkhangelsk, Cheboksary, Moscow–Domodedovo, Syktyvkar, Ufa, Volgograd, Voronezh^[37]
Ural Airlines	Belgorod, Kazan, Kemerovo,^[38] Kirov, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo, Magnitogorsk,^[38] Moscow–Domodedovo, Moscow–Sheremetyevo,^[39] Murmansk, Nizhnevartovsk,^[38] Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk,^[38] Saint Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg Seasonal: Chelyabinsk, Moscow–Zhukovsky,^[40] Rostov-on-Don^[41]
UVT Aero	Bugulma Seasonal: Ufa
Yakutia Airlines	Seasonal: Irkutsk, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow–Vnukovo, Yakutsk
Yamal Airlines	Tyumen Seasonal: Kursk,^[42] Moscow–Domodedovo, Nizhnevartovsk, Omsk, Surgut

Statistics

Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic at SIP airport. See Wikidata query.

Annual Passenger Traffic

Year	Passengers	% Change
2009	751,000	12.2%
2010	845,000	12%
2011	964,000	14.9%
2012	1,114,000	15.6%
2013	1,204,000	8.9%
2014	2,800,000	133%
2015	5,017,758	79%
2016	5,201,690	3.7%
2017	5,128,738	1.4%
2018	5,146,095	0.3%
2019	5,140,000	0.1%
2020	4,630,000	9.9%
2021	6,830,000	47.5%

Ground transportation

 

Bus station terminal in Simferopol Airport, 2017

Trolleybus Route 9 runs from the airport to the Simferopol Railway station (and Kurortnaya bus station).

In 2015, a new direct express route has been launched. 24-hour Transexpress buses and trolleybuses connect the airport with the Simferopol Railway station in the city centre.^[43] The route was launched in May 2015 by Crimean Trolleybus, and runs every 10 minutes without stops in both directions.^[44]

Intercity trolleybus routes 54 and 55 run to the cities of Alushta, Yalta and resorts between them on the Southern Coast of Crimea. Route #55 Simferopol - Yalta, reestablished in April 2014, is known to be the world's longest trolleybus route.^[45]

The airport is connected with Sevastopol Bus Station by direct bus route.

See also

• List of the busiest airports in Russia
• List of the busiest airports in Ukraine
• List of the busiest airports in Europe
• List of the busiest airports in the former USSR

References

1. Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Сімферополь", Mizhnarodnyy aeroport "Simferopol’"; Russian: Международный аэропорт "Симферополь", Mezhdunarodnyy aeroport "Simferopol’"; Crimean Tatar: Aqmescit Halqara Ava Limanı, Акъмесджит Халкъара Ава Лиманы) (IATA: SIP, ICAO: UKFF) (Russian AIP: URFF, УРФФ URFF SIMFEROPOL, AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION PUBLICATION, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
2. "Ukrainian Rada voted for the renaming of the airport of Simferopol". rin.ru. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
3. "Аэропорт Симферополя получит имя художника Ивана Айвазовского". December 2018.
4. "Simferopol airport in Crimea to be named after Aivazovsky". news.am. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
5. Shaimardanov, Rinat (28 November 2018). "Добро пожаловать в аэропорт "Амет-Хан Султан" города Симферополя!". Милли Фирка (in Russian). Retrieved 13 August 2020.
6. "Ukraine: Russian military blocking airport". 28 February 2014.
7. "Ukrainian airline says Crimean airspace closed". Reuters. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
8. "Ukraine crisis: Flights into Crimea denied permission to land". www.telegraph.co.uk. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
9. "Crimea bars flights - the Standard". Archived from the original on 11 March 2014.
10. "ICAO: небо над Крымом - территория Украины, где сейчас небезопасно".
11. Об открытии аэропорта Симферополь для выполнения международных полётов
12. "Chechen Airline Gets Permission for Flights From Simferopol to Istanbul". The Moscow Times. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
13. Верховная рада переименовала аэропорт Симферополя. ТАСС (in Russian). 14 May 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
14. Депутат ГД: переименование Радой аэропорта Симферополя - спекуляция. РИА Новости Крым (in Russian). 14 May 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
15. "Аэропорт "Симферополь" получил разрешение на ввод нового терминала". aif.ru. 13 April 2018.
16. "Новый терминал аэропорта "Симферополь" начал свою работу и уже принял первый рейс". 1tv.ru. 16 April 2018.
17. "Новый терминал аэропорта "Симферополь" примет первых пассажиров 16 апреля". ria.ru. 12 April 2018.
18. "РОСАВИАЦИЯ ВЫДАЛА РАЗРЕШЕНИЕ НА ВВОД В ЭКСПЛУАТАЦИЮ НОВОГО ТЕРМИНАЛА АЭРОПОРТА "СИМФЕРОПОЛЬ"". aviaport.ru. 12 April 2018.
19. "Аэропорт Симферополь впервые в истории обслужил более 6,8 млн пассажиров за год".
20. «Прямой» рейс «Симферополь-Ереван» летит через Анапу. Крым.Реалии (in Russian). 16 November 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
21. ""Грозный Авиа" запустил регулярное авиасообщение Симферополь-Стамбул". Ria. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
22. "Air route to open between Armenia, Crimea". Kyiv Post. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
23. Liu, Jim. "Aeroflot expands Krasnoyarsk market in S20". Routesonline. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
24. "Company News - Aeroflot launches summer timetable | Aeroflot". www.aeroflot.ru. Aeroflot.
25. "Калмыкию с Крымом свяжет авиарейс". MK Kalmykia. 6 February 2019.
26. "Новый перевозчик "Азимут" запускает рейсы в Симферополь" [New carrier Azimut launches flights to Simferopol]. tass.ru. 23 April 2018.
27. Liu, Jim. "PegasFly expands Simferopol network in S20". Routesonline. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
28. "Timetable".
29. "Озвучены графики вылетов из саратовского аэропорта в Сочи и Симферополь". Region 64. 25 October 2019.
30. "Izhavia Adds New Simferopol Routes from June 2016".
31. Liu, Jim. "Nordwind adds Manitogorsk service from late-June 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
32. "Red Wings adds new routes in S17".
33. Liu, Jim. "RusLine adds Simferopol – Penza service from June 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
34. "S7 Airlines flight schedule". www.s7.ru. S7 Airlines.
35. Liu, Jim. "S7 Airlines expands Irkutsk domestic routes in S20". Routesonline. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
36. Liu, Jim. "Severstal Aircompany expands Kirovsk / Petrozavodsk network in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
37. KerchInfo (1 June 2018). "Из аэропорта "Симферополь" будут летать новые рейсы". yandex zen.
38. "Ural Airlines expands Simferopol network from June 2017".
39. "Авиакомпания "Уральские авиалинии" придет в Шереметьево". ato.ru. 19 October 2017.
40. Рейсы. zia.aero (in Russian). Zhukovsky International Airport. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
41. Raspisanie reysov ^{[dead link]}
42. "С июня куряне смогут летать в Крым без пересадок". МК в Крыму. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
43. (in Russian)Трансэкспресс из аэропорта 2 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Krymtrolleybus, 18 May 2015
44. . Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
45. (in Russian)Севастополь и Ялту соединит самый длинный в мире троллейбусный маршрут RIA Novosti, 13 August 2014

External links

  Media related to Simferopol International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (in English and Russian)
• Airport information for SIP at Great Circle Mapper.
• NOAA/NWS weather observations
• ASN Accident history for SIP