Antonov Airport (IATA: GML, ICAO: UKKM) (Ukrainian: аеропорт «Антонов» [ɐeroˈpɔrt ɐnˈtɔnou̯]), also known as Hostomel (or Gostomel) Airport (Ukrainian: аеропорт «Гостомель»), is an international cargo airport and testing facility in Ukraine, located near Hostomel, which is a northwestern suburb of Kyiv.[a]
Antonov Airport Аеропорт «Антонов» | |||||||||||
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_RP3226.jpg) Ukraine Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 at the airport | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Civil government | ||||||||||
| Operator | Antonov Airlines | ||||||||||
| Serves | Kyiv | ||||||||||
| Location | Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 517 ft / 158 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°36′13″N 30°11′31″E / 50.60361°N 30.19194°E | ||||||||||
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  GML Location of the airport in Ukraine | |||||||||||
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The airport is owned by and named after the Antonov aircraft manufacturing company and operated by its subsidiary Antonov Airlines. The destroyed An-225 was based here.
At the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the airport became the site of a battle.[1][2] It was temporarily held by Russian forces and sustained heavy damage to facilities and aircraft.
History
editConstruction of the airport began in 1959. Commercial cargo operations at the airport began in 1989 with the first attempts at demilitarizing and commercializing of the Antonov Design Bureau.[citation needed]
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
editOn 24 February 2022, the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the airport was attacked and seized by the Russian military. On the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "The enemy paratroopers in Hostomel have been blocked, and troops have received an order to destroy them".[3] Later in the day, between 8-10 PM local time (UTC+2) reports surfaced that the airport had been retaken, but heavy fighting continued for weeks at the airport and in neighboring Hostomel. Ukrainian forces regained control of the airport by 2 April, but the airport sustained extensive damage and the notable An-225 cargo aircraft was destroyed.[4][5]
The Virgin Galactic owner, Sir Richard Branson, visited the President of Ukraine and the damaged airport and had interest in investing in rebuilding it.[6][7]
Aircraft testing operations
editHostomel Airport was originally built as a top-secret in-house Flight Testing and Improvement Base (Ukrainian: Льотно-випробувальна і довідна база) for Antonov airplanes. It is equipped with special equipment for it (e.g., artificial lightning generator) and granted a purpose test flight zone. Its sister facility, responsible for manufacturing, is located inside Kyiv at the Sviatoshyn Airfield.
Cargo operations
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The airport is used by Antonov Airlines, as well as by other interested cargo carriers. The following facilities and services are available on site:
- transshipping (air-to-auto; air-to-railway[b])
- storage capacities
- border control and customs
- aircraft maintenance
Military presence
editUkrainian Air Force was using the airport for its transportation forces.
The An-225 "Mriya" (tr. 'dream' or 'inspiration'), the world's largest cargo aircraft, was located at Hostomel Airport and it was partially destroyed during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. A number of other aircraft were also destroyed.[8]
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Harris, Shane; DeYoung, Karen; Khurshudyan, Isabelle; Parker, Ashley; Sly, Liz (16 August 2022). "Road to war: U.S. struggled to convince allies, and Zelensky, of risk of invasion". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Horton, Alex (14 April 2023). "Russia's commando units gutted by Ukraine war, U.S. leak shows. THE DISCORD LEAKS: Russia's clandestine spetsnaz forces have been put to use alongside the infantry, suffering massive numbers of dead and wounded". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Shull, Abbie. "Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting for hours over a critical airfield just outside Kyiv". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
- ^ "Amongst wreckage in Ukraine's Hostomel Airport". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ^ "Antonow An-225: Neue Bilder der Verwüstung am Flughafen Kiew-Hostomel". stern.de (in German). 9 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
- ^ "Amongst wreckage in Ukraine's Hostomel Airport". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ^ Vasilyeva, Nataliya (29 June 2022). "Sir Richard Branson could help rebuild wrecked Ukrainian airport". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ^ "World's largest plane destroyed in Ukraine". www.cnn.com. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
External links
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- Antonov Airport at Antonov ASTC corporate Web site
- NOAA/NWS Weather observations for the Antonov Airport
- ASN Accident history for the Antonov Airport