Oryol Yuzhny Airport

Primarily economic reasons. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the airport suffered a dramatic decline in passenger traffic, making it financially unviable. The local airline, 'Oryol-Avia,' which was based at the airport, went bankrupt. The infrastructure, including the runway and terminal building, deteriorated significantly and required substantial investment for modernization, which was not available at the time. The combination of low demand, the failure of the local carrier, and decaying infrastructure led to its closure.

The airport is currently abandoned and non-operational for aviation purposes. The physical infrastructure, including the 2,500-meter concrete runway, taxiways, and apron, remains largely intact but is in a state of significant disrepair and overgrown with vegetation. The terminal building and other airport facilities are derelict and have fallen into ruin. The abandoned site has occasionally been used for unofficial local events, such as car shows and drag racing.

Oryol Yuzhny (former ICAO: UUOR) was the main civilian airport for the Oryol Oblast during the Soviet era and the early post-Soviet period. It was a vital regional transportation hub, connecting Orel with major cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg (then Leningrad), and southern resort destinations such as Sochi and Mineralnye Vody. The airport primarily handled regional passenger aircraft typical of that era, including the Antonov An-24, Yakovlev Yak-40, and Let L-410. Beyond passenger services, it was also a base for agricultural aviation (utilizing An-2 biplanes for crop dusting) and provided air ambulance and other general aviation services for the region.

There are active and long-standing plans to reconstruct and reopen the airport. The project has been a recurring topic for the regional government and is included in Russia's federal program for the modernization of regional transport infrastructure. The plan involves a complete overhaul: construction of a new runway capable of handling modern aircraft, a new passenger terminal, and the installation of modern navigation and lighting systems. Despite numerous announcements and delays over the past decade, the project gained momentum in 2023 with the selection of a contractor to carry out the reconstruction. The current timeline aims for the completion of the project and the reopening of the airport around 2025-2026, although this remains subject to federal funding and potential delays.