🇱🇻 Jēkabpils Air Base

Jēkabpils Air Base (EVKA) is a former military airfield located in Jēkabpils Municipality, Latvia, approximately 5 km from the city of Jēkabpils. Its exact founding date is unknown, but it functioned as the Krustpils airfield of the Latvian Aviation Regiment around 1935, with a new reinforced concrete hangar and two-story barracks built at that time.

Notable Features and History:

• Pre-WWII: Plans for a Riga-Krustpils-Daugavpils air route were not implemented. In 1940, Gloster Gladiator fighters of the Latvian Aviation Regiment were redeployed there.
• WWII: Bombers of the Luftwaffe's 1st Fleet (Luftflotte 1) were based at the airfield.
• Soviet Occupation (Cold War): From 1962, it was home to the 886th Independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (886 ORAP), flying aircraft such as Su-17, Su-24 MR, MiG-25RB, Yak-28R, and MiG-21R. One squadron operated in Afghanistan from 1988 to 1989. The runway was expanded in 1974.
• Post-Soviet Era: The regiment was disbanded in 1993. The air base was transferred to the Jēkabpils district council. From 1993 to 1999, it was owned by AS Jēkabpils lidosta. In 2000, the land was transferred to the state vacant plot fund, and many buildings and communications were privatized. In 2004, a large warehouse of smuggled cigarettes was discovered in one of the hangars.

Current Status: Jēkabpils Air Base is an abandoned military airfield, partially privatized, with a partially preserved concrete runway of approximately 2000 meters long and 40 meters wide. The ICAO code is EVKA. Around 2008, an asphalt concrete plant was built on the territory, and a wood processing company operates in the barracks buildings. As of 2013, 7 or 8 demolished large warplane hangars and more than ten smaller hangars remained. Activists have made some improvements, such as painting navigational road markings and adding windsocks.

*Sources researched: en.wikipedia.org, militaryheritagetourism.info, metar-taf.com*