Ugolny Airport


Ugolny Airport is a mixed-use military and civil airfield in the Russian Far East located 11 km east of Anadyr, separated from the town by the waters of Anadyrsky Liman. The airfield was originally constructed sometime in the 1950s as a staging base for Long Range Aviation bombers such as the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-22M, but during the Cold War years, it became the primary hub for civilian flights in the Chukotka region.
In May 2019, the airport was named in honor of the Chukchi writer Yuri Rytkheu.

Civilian history

The Soviet-built Ilyushin Il-62 was a workhorse of the route from Moscow Domodedovo Airport to Anadyr for many decades. There is occasional charter aircraft service from Nome, Alaska to Anadyr.
Anadyr was featured in the American novel Flight of the Old Dog.
In 2018, 102,806 passengers passed through this airport.
On 3 January 2020, United States pilot Matt Guthmiller posted a video of his experience entering the Chukotka Autonomous region and landing at DYR without the correct documentation.

Incidents and accidents

Owing to its geographic location, its long, concrete-reinforced, heavy load-bearing runway, as well as its modern terminal with jet bridges, the airport is well-suited and well-situated for emergency diversion at roughly the midpoint of the northern route trans-Pacific routes.
The airport is located on the opposite site of the Anadyr River compared to the city. Transport by summer is by boat, by winter by a road on the ice, and for a period in spring and fall, only helicopter. The helicopter ticket was 3,680 rubles.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Military

Anadyr was one of nine Arctic staging bases for long range bombers. The Russian Air Force's OGA is responsible for upkeep of the facilities.
Anadyr has also been a prominent base for Soviet Air Defence Forces due to its close proximity to Alaskan airspace. The Yakovlev Yak-28P interceptor was stationed at Anadyr starting in the 1960s, along with S-75 surface-to-air missile installations. An R-12 Dvina medium-range ballistic missile complex, which targeted American military installations in Alaska, was located 13 km northeast of Ugolny airfield.
In September 1982, the Yak-28s were replaced with 20 Sukhoi Su-15TM as part of a force upgrade. The Su-15 were flown by the 171st Fighter Aviation Regiment which was transferred from Bombora airfield, Gudauta, in the Abkhazian ASSR of the Georgian SSR. The 171st Regiment reported to the 23rd Air Defence Corps, 11th PVO Army. The interceptor regiment was disbanded in 1992.
Fighter aircraft are no longer based permanently at Anadyr, and the region is overflown daily by foreign aircraft on the Asian polar route. Temporary military deployments are common, however. In 2001, the airfield was visited by Tupolev Tu-95MS and Ilyushin Il-78 aircraft on exercise from Engels air base.
In 2014, Russia announced plans to deploy Mig-31 interceptors at the airport.