Valek Airport (russian: Аэропорт "Валёк") is a small airport in
Krasnoyarsk krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Si ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
located 9 km northeast of
Norilsk
Norilsk ( rus, Нори́льск, p=nɐˈrʲilʲsk, ''Norílʹsk'') is a closed city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located south of the western Taymyr Peninsula, around 90 km east of the Yenisey River and 1,500 km north of Krasnoyarsk. Norilsk ...
along the Valkovskoye highway (russian: Вальковское шоссе). The Norilsk river's western bank is where the runway is located. The nearby Valk river, a tributary of the Norilsk river, inspired the airport's name.
History
Beginning in 1950 to support the industrial giant now known as
Norilsk Nickel
Norilsk Nickel (russian: ГМК «Норильский никель»), or Nornickel, is a Russian nickel and palladium mining and smelting company. Its largest operations are located in the Norilsk–Talnakh area near the Yenisei River in the no ...
, the Nadezhda Airport (russian: аэропорт «Надежда») began as a Class 3 facility in the Civil Air Fleet with a Seaplane Base "Valek".
Small planes, such as the
AN-2,
AN-3, and similar types, and helicopters of all types are serviced at Valёk. The Taimyr Air Company (russian: АК Таймыр) services AN-2, AN-3, Mi-8 T (
Mil Mi-8), and Mi-8 MTV-1 Line (
Mil Mi-17).
Both Taymyr Air Company and
NordStar
NordStar, officially JSC NordStar Airlines (russian: Акционерное общество «Авиакомпания «НордСтар») is a Russian airline based in Norilsk. Its main base is Alykel Airport.
History
NordStar was founded ...
are subsidiaries of Norilsk Nickel. On December 1, 2011, Norilsk Nickel announced that Taimyr Air Company will be merged with NordStar.
[) , date = December 1, 2011 , access-date = November 16, 2016 , title = АРХАНГЕЛЬСКАЯ АВИАКОМПАНИЯ "НОРДАВИА" УЙДЕТ ИЗ РЕГИОНА? , trans-title = Arkhangelsk airline "Nordavia" to leave the region? , language = ru , agency = Regnum]
Nearest airports and the distance to them:
*
Alykel - 41.2 km
*
Dudinka
Dudinka (russian: Дуди́нка; Nenets: Тут'ын, ''Tutꜧyn'') is a town on the Yenisei River and the administrative center of Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It used to be the administrative center of Ta ...
- 86.0 km
*
Snezhnogorsk - 150.0 km
Satellite imagery from
Google Earth on 2014-06-25 shows large areas of the runway inundated with water from the river, leaving approximately 400 Meters available. Another image from 2015-06-23 shows the same state. Four small propeller airplanes are shown parked in the same location in both picture. An image from 2016-07-15 show the waters receded, runway areas covered with silt, with only one of the four airplanes parked. Some water had returned in the summer of 2017, shown in an image from 2017-07-11. An image from 2018-07-14 shows areas of the runway appear to remain inoperable due to water in low lying pools, leaving perhaps 800 Meters hypothetically available. Parked helicopters have varied throughout these years of images, giving the impression this airport now mostly, or entirely, serves vertical Take Off/Landing or STOL aircraft.
References
External links
*
Taimyr Air Company (Taymyr Aviakompaniya) former official website*
NordStar official website for Taymyr Air Company
Airports built in the Soviet Union
Airports in Krasnoyarsk Krai
Norilsk
{{Russia-airport-stub