Giaginskaya Air Base

The closure was a direct result of the large-scale military reforms, force reduction, and budget cuts that occurred in the Russian Armed Forces after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The base's parent institution, the Armavir Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots (AVVAUL), was reorganized, and its subordinate training regiments, including the one at Giaginskaya, were disbanded as part of this process.

The air base is currently abandoned and inactive for any official aviation purposes. The physical infrastructure, including the main runway, taxiways, and aircraft dispersal pads, remains largely intact but is in a state of significant decay and is not maintained. The site has become a popular unofficial venue for local automotive enthusiasts and is frequently used for amateur car racing, drag racing, and drifting events, as evidenced by numerous tire marks on the runway surface visible in satellite imagery. Some of the derelict buildings on the site may be used for informal local storage, but the airfield as a whole is defunct.

Giaginskaya Air Base was a significant training facility for the Soviet Air Force and later the Russian Air Force. It served as the home base for the 709th Training Aviation Regiment (709-й Учебный авиационный полк). This regiment was a component of the renowned Armavir Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots, one of the main institutions for training fighter pilots. For decades, the base was dedicated to the primary and advanced flight training of military cadets. Operations primarily involved jet trainer aircraft, starting with the Aero L-29 Delfin and later transitioning to the more advanced Aero L-39 Albatros. Thousands of future pilots for the Soviet and Russian air forces conducted their initial flight training at this airfield.

There are no known official plans, government proposals, or credible prospects for the reopening or reactivation of Giaginskaya Air Base for either military or civilian use. The cost of restoring the infrastructure to modern operational standards would be substantial. Given the large number of similar abandoned Soviet-era airfields and the proximity of other active military and civilian airports in the North Caucasus region (such as Maykop and Krasnodar), there is currently no strategic or economic justification for its restoration. Therefore, the prospect of it reopening is considered extremely low.