Penza (airport)

Air transportation in the Penza region began in 1936. In 1939, a civil air fleet (GVF) airport was opened in Ternovka, which accepted transit flights ^[3] . The passenger terminal was built in 1963, first reconstructed partially in the 1970s and 80s, then completely in 2003. An artificial runway was built in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, during the summer vacation season, the airport received and sent more than 60 flights per day and was connected by flights with dozens of USSR airports, with most capitals of the Union republics. In the crisis 1990s, the geography of flights from Penza began to decline sharply, and by the fall of 1998 regular flights had ceased. From 1999 to 2003, the airport worked only in the summer months: regular transit flights were served from Saransk to St. Petersburg, Sochi and, in some years, to Mineralnye Vody.

In autumn 2003, the airport received a second wind: the passenger terminal was completely renovated, and regular flights to Moscow to the Yak-40 were resumed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from mid-October. Since the new year 2004, the frequency of flights has increased up to 5 times a week: from Monday to Friday. In the summer, transit flights to Sochi and St. Petersburg continued to open every year. At the beginning of 2006, the number of flights to Moscow doubled: two flights began to be operated on business days, and in June, the Saratov – Penza – St. Petersburg flight was launched, operated by the Yak-42 Saratov Airlines . In the summer of 2008, all flights from Penza began to operate on the Yak-42: to Moscow, Saratov, St. Petersburg and Sochi, but due to the onset of the financial crisis, flights to the Yak-42 ceased by the fall. In February 2010, additional flights to Moscow were opened on a CRJ-200 plane of Rusline Airlines, but they did not last long: less than two months, and by the end of March were canceled due to low demand. Since June 1, 2010, Ak Bars Aero began to operate CRJ-200 aircraft on all flights in the summer months instead of the Yak-40. In the winter of 2010-2011, for the first time in the history of the reconstructed airport, flights to St. Petersburg began year-round. Since March 2012, the morning flight to Moscow became truly daily: it began to operate on Sundays. But in the fall, with the introduction of the winter schedule, the number of flights to Moscow was again reduced, and flights were “deployed”: they began to start not in Penza, but in Moscow, the plane ceased to be based in Penza, which caused flights to be canceled after two years of constant communication in Saint-Petersburg.

In July 2013, the next stage of the airport reconstruction began: the runway cover was completely renovated and re-laid. During its repair, all flights at the airport were carried out on the An-24 aircraft from a parallel unpaved strip. The new runway was put into operation by mid-September 2013, and in the very first days of its operation, the Penza airport received the Tu-154 for the first time in history.

In 2008, the runway was extended by 700 m to 2.8 km, but the 700-meter section was put into operation only in mid-September 2013. Also, the platform was expanded almost 2 times and both taxiways were reconstructed. The airport can accept all types of passenger aircraft (some with restrictions) except for the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 .

An-2, An-12 , An-24 , An-26 , An-28, An-30, An-140 , An-148 , Il-114 , L-410 , Tu-134 , Tu-154 , Tu- 204 , Tu-214 , Yak-40 , Yak-42 , Airbus A319 , ATR 42 , ATR 72 , Bombardier CRJ 100/200 , Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia , Embraer ERJ 170, Embraer ERJ 190 , Pilatus PC-12 , SAAB 2000 , Sukhoi Superjet 100 , Cessna 208 and lighter, all types of helicopters . Runway classification number ( PCN ) 31 / R / B / X / T.

The airport is located in Penza, so there is a regular city transport: buses No. 30, 54, 66; trolleybus number 7; fixed-route taxis 10m, 88t. A trip to the city center takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on the traffic situation.

On June 22, 1986, due to an interrupted take-off, the Tu-134 aircraft rolled out of the runway. 1 out of 59 people died due to a heart attack.

On the street of the Central city of Penza, not far from the main entrance to the Penza Airport building, on the initiative of members of the Penza veteran organizations, two commemorative signs dedicated to aviators were installed.

In 2001, a memorial was erected to aviators of the Ternovka military airfield, operating on the territory of the Penza Airport during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

Opposite the memorial sign to aviators of the Ternovka military airdrome, a memorial sign “Fragment of the spar of the wing of the I-16 fighter” was installed.

• Official website of Penza Airport
• Kamordin V.V. Air transport // Penza Encyclopedia