Stepnoye West Airport

Military abandonment and economic factors following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The airfield was part of the extensive military infrastructure of the Soviet Air Force's Turkestan Military District. After Kazakhstan's independence in 1991, the new government could not afford to maintain numerous secondary and reserve airfields. This base was deemed strategically unnecessary and was subsequently abandoned.

The airport is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery clearly shows the concrete runway is still intact but heavily weathered, with extensive cracking, surface erosion, and significant vegetation growing through the pavement. The earthen aircraft revetments are still visible but are eroding. The site is not maintained, and there are no signs of any aviation or industrial activity. The surrounding land is primarily used for agriculture, and local farm tracks appear to cross the former runway, rendering it unusable.

Stepnoye West was a classic Soviet-era military dispersal airfield (аэродром рассредоточения). Its primary function was not as a main operating base with permanently stationed units, but as a reserve location to disperse tactical aircraft (such as fighters or fighter-bombers) away from their primary bases in the event of a conflict or heightened alert. This strategy was designed to increase the survivability of air assets against a first strike. Its location near the border with Uzbekistan and proximity to Tashkent, the headquarters of the Turkestan Military District, made it a strategic asset in the region's air defense network. The airfield's layout, which includes a main runway and numerous earthen revetments (dispersal pads) for parking individual aircraft, is a clear indicator of its military purpose.

There are no known official plans or realistic prospects for reopening Stepnoye West Airport. The cost to clear the land, demolish the old pavement, and construct a new runway and modern infrastructure would be substantial. Given its remote location and proximity to the major international airports in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, there is no pressing economic or logistical demand for another airport in this specific area. It is expected to remain derelict.