An airport in southern Russia that was closed when Moscow launched its February 2022 offensive will reopen in the coming days, officials said Wednesday.
Russia halted operations at several airports close to the Ukrainian border, citing safety precautions as it ramped up aerial attacks with missiles and drones.
Russia’s transport ministry said Gelendzhik airport, on Russia’s Black Sea coast, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, was now ready and safe to reopen.
“The airport is one of 11 airports in southern Russia that have not accepted aircraft since 2022 for safety reasons. The airport is scheduled to open for domestic flights in the near future,” the ministry said.
Ukraine’s airspace has been completely closed since Russia launched its offensive.
Russia launched its largest ever aerial attack overnight, Kyiv said Wednesday, firing more than 700 drones and missiles across the country.
The Rosaviatsia federal aviation agency said flights could resume from Thursday, with flag carrier Aeroflot saying it would launch Moscow-Gelendzhik flights from 18 July.
The agency said the airport can only operate in daylight hours — from 08:30 am (0530 GMT) until 08:00 pm.
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