Iultin Airport

The airport's closure was a direct result of profound economic changes following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Its fate was inextricably linked to the town of Iul'tin, a monotown built entirely around the Iultin Mining and Processing Plant, which extracted tin and tungsten. In 1995, the plant was declared unprofitable and was permanently shut down. Consequently, the Russian government officially liquidated the settlement of Iul'tin. The population was relocated over the next few years, and with no inhabitants or economic activity to support, all infrastructure, including the airport, was abandoned.

The airport is completely abandoned and in a state of ruin, mirroring the ghost town of Iul'tin it once served. Satellite imagery of the coordinates reveals a clearly defined but severely decayed and overgrown runway. The associated buildings, such as the terminal and support structures, are derelict and collapsing. The entire site has been left to decay in the harsh Arctic environment and is not used for any aviation or other official purposes. It is an inactive, unmaintained, and inaccessible airfield.

Iultin Airport was the critical lifeline for the remote Arctic mining settlement of Iul'tin. During its operational years, it served as the primary transportation hub, connecting the isolated community with the rest of Chukotka and Russia. Its main functions included:
- **Passenger Transport:** Flying mine workers, their families, and officials to and from regional centers like Egvekinot and the administrative capital, Anadyr.
- **Cargo and Supply:** Transporting essential goods, including fresh food, mail, medical supplies, and urgent equipment for the mine. Given the harsh climate and the often-impassable 200-kilometer road to the port of Egvekinot, air transport was indispensable, especially during the long winter months.
The airport typically handled rugged, Soviet-era aircraft designed for remote operations on gravel or unpaved runways, such as the Antonov An-2, An-24, An-26, and Mil Mi-8 helicopters. It was a key piece of infrastructure that enabled the Soviet Union's strategic exploitation of mineral resources in the Far North.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening Iultin Airport. The fundamental reason for its existence—the mine and the town of Iul'tin—is gone, and the town is officially liquidated and uninhabited. The immense cost of rebuilding the airport and the town in such a remote and inhospitable location, with no current economic driver, makes any such project economically unfeasible. The current and foreseeable air transportation needs of the wider Iultinsky District are served by the functioning airport in the port town of Egvekinot (Zaliv Kresta Airport, UHME).