Lodeynoye Pole Airport

The airport, which was a military air base, was closed as a result of the 2008-2009 Russian military reforms. The resident unit, the 177th Fighter Aviation Regiment, was disbanded, and its assets were either retired or redistributed. The closure was a strategic and economic decision by the Ministry of Defence to consolidate forces and reduce the number of active air bases.

The air base is currently inactive and in a state of preservation under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defence. It is considered a reserve airfield. Satellite imagery shows the runway, taxiways, and aircraft revetments are still intact but not maintained for regular operations. The infrastructure is slowly deteriorating. In the years following its closure, the site was used for the open storage and eventual scrapping of decommissioned aircraft, particularly MiG-23s. The base is not accessible to the public.

Lodeynoye Pole was a key military air base for the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) and, later, the Russian Air Force. Its primary historical significance comes from hosting the 177th Fighter Aviation Regiment (177th IAP). This regiment was tasked with the critical mission of providing air defense for the northwestern region of the USSR, including the strategic city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Over its history at the base, the 177th IAP operated a succession of fighter aircraft, including the MiG-17, Yak-28P, MiG-23MLD, and, in its final years, the advanced Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker'. The base was an important frontline installation throughout the Cold War. There is no evidence of it ever handling significant scheduled civilian passenger traffic.

There are no official, publicly announced plans to fully reactivate Lodeynoye Pole as an active military air base or to convert it for civilian use. As a reserve airfield, the Russian Ministry of Defence retains it as a strategic asset that could potentially be brought back into service if required by a change in military posture. However, this would necessitate significant investment in runway and infrastructure repairs. Currently, any talk of its reopening remains speculative.