Yevpatoriya Airport

The primary reason for the cessation of passenger services was economic collapse. The end of the centralized Soviet Aeroflot system, coupled with the severe economic downturn in post-Soviet Ukraine, made regional flights to resort towns like Yevpatoriya financially unsustainable. Passenger demand plummeted, and the cost of maintaining infrastructure and services for civil aviation became prohibitive.

The site is an active military facility under the control of the Russian Federation following the 2014 annexation of Crimea. It serves as the airfield for the Yevpatoriya Aircraft Repair Plant, which was nationalized by Russia and integrated into its state-owned defense conglomerate, Rostec. The plant continues to repair and modernize military aircraft, primarily for the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. Satellite imagery confirms the presence of military aircraft, including Be-12s. Due to its strategic importance, the facility has been a reported target of Ukrainian military strikes during the full-scale Russo-Ukrainian War.

During the Soviet era, Yevpatoriya Airport was an important regional airport that supported the thriving tourism industry of the popular Black Sea resort city. It primarily handled seasonal domestic flights, bringing tourists from across the USSR directly to the Crimean coast on aircraft such as the Antonov An-24. Its most significant role, however, has been its co-location with the Yevpatoriya Aircraft Repair Plant (EARP / Russian: ЕАРЗ). This plant has a long history of servicing and overhauling military aircraft, most notably the Beriev Be-12 'Chaika' amphibious anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft, as well as Antonov An-12 transport planes. The airfield was essential for the plant's operations.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airport for civilian or commercial passenger traffic in the foreseeable future. Its current and critical function as an active military aircraft repair facility and airfield for the Russian Ministry of Defence precludes any civilian use. The future status of the airfield is entirely contingent on the outcome of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the resolution of Crimea's political status.