Oil airport finally closes with transfer of Yak-40s to Tomskavia

Published: 11/22/1999

Kolpashevo Airport, part of Kolpashevo Air Enterprise in Western Siberia has closed. The airport was established in 1975 and handled much of the passenger air traffic relating to the development of the oil industry in the Tomsk region, connecting Kolpashevo with Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Strezhev. The air fleet consisted of Yak-40s, An-28s and An-2s. These had been extensively used by the early 1990s. By spring 1999, only one regular flight on the route Kolpashevo-Novosibirsk remained. Even this was cancelled in March 1999. Recently, Tomskavia acquired the airline"s Yak-40s as part of the sell off of the airport. Kolpashevo now has only three Mi-8s and it is still unclear whether flights will be resumed from Kolpashevo, as the helicopters offer the only means of transport over the frozen River Ob during the winter.

Article ID: 1117