Arkhangelsk / Keg Ostrov Airfield

The primary reason for closure was functional obsolescence following the construction of the modern Arkhangelsk Talagi Airport (ULAA). Keg Ostrov's location on an island, coupled with its relatively short, unpaved runway, made it incapable of handling the larger, heavier jet aircraft (like the Tu-104 and Il-18) that were becoming the standard for Soviet civil aviation. The new Talagi airport was built with a long, concrete runway specifically to accommodate this new generation of airliners, rendering Keg Ostrov redundant for primary air services.

The site of the former airfield has been completely redeveloped and is now a residential neighborhood (microdistrict) of Arkhangelsk on Kegostrov Island. The main thoroughfare of this district, Kegostrovskaya Street, directly follows the path of the former main runway. There are no significant visible remnants of the original airport infrastructure, as the area is now occupied by apartment buildings, private homes, and associated urban infrastructure.

Opened in the early 1930s, Keg Ostrov was the original primary airport for the Arkhangelsk region. It held immense strategic importance during World War II, serving as a critical airbase for the Soviet Air Forces. Its aircraft provided air defense for the Port of Arkhangelsk, which was the main destination for vital Allied Lend-Lease convoys. The airfield was also a component of the ALSIB (Alaska-Siberia) air route, used for ferrying American-made aircraft to the Eastern Front. In the post-war era, it was the region's main civilian airport, handling passenger and cargo flights with aircraft such as the Lisunov Li-2, Ilyushin Il-12, Ilyushin Il-14, and Antonov An-2, connecting Arkhangelsk to Moscow, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), and other destinations.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the airfield. The land has been fully and permanently repurposed for residential use, making any future aviation activity physically and logistically impossible. The aviation needs of Arkhangelsk are comprehensively served by the large Talagi Airport for major passenger and cargo transport and the smaller Vaskovo Airport for regional and general aviation.