Uzhur Airport

Primarily economic reasons. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to the disintegration of the state-owned Aeroflot airline into numerous smaller, often financially unstable regional carriers. State subsidies for local air services (known as 'Местные воздушные линии' or MVL) were eliminated. This, combined with a sharp economic downturn, hyperinflation, and a steep rise in fuel and maintenance costs, made operating flights to small towns like Uzhur economically unviable. Passenger traffic plummeted as the population could no longer afford air travel, and ground transportation became the default. The airport was not converted for military use; it was simply abandoned due to a lack of funding and demand.

The airport is completely abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows a clearly visible but heavily overgrown and unmaintained dirt/grass runway. There are no remaining buildings, hangars, or terminal facilities on the site. The land has reverted to an open field, and the former runway is now just a scar on the landscape, unusable for any aviation purposes. It is not used for any other official or commercial purpose.

Uzhur Airport was a typical Soviet-era regional airfield. Its primary role was to connect the district center of Uzhur with the regional capital, Krasnoyarsk, and other remote settlements within Krasnoyarsk Krai. It was a vital piece of local infrastructure, handling:
- **Passenger Transport:** Regular or semi-regular flights for local residents.
- **Mail and Cargo:** Delivery of mail, newspapers, and essential goods.
- **Medical Aviation:** Used for medical evacuations ('sanaviatsiya') from remote areas to the district hospital.
- **Agricultural Aviation:** Served as a base for agricultural aircraft, primarily the Antonov An-2, for crop dusting and other aerial work.
Operations were conducted by small, robust aircraft capable of using short, often unpaved runways, such as the Antonov An-2, and possibly the Let L-410 Turbolet. The airport was part of Aeroflot's Krasnoyarsk Directorate and was a lifeline for the community before the road network was fully developed and reliable.

Effectively zero. There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Uzhur's civil airport. The reasons include:
- **Lack of Economic Viability:** The local population and economy cannot support scheduled air services. Uzhur is well-connected by road and rail, making air travel redundant for regional journeys.
- **Prohibitive Costs:** Rebuilding the airport from scratch, including a modern runway, terminal, navigation aids, and security infrastructure, would require massive investment with no return.
- **No Airline Interest:** No commercial airline would be interested in serving such a small market.
While the Russian government has programs to subsidize and revive some regional aviation, these are focused on strategically important or extremely remote locations in the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East where air travel is the only option. Uzhur does not fall into this category.