The history of the Usinsky district dates back to the end of the 18th century, when the settlement of Ust-Usa appeared in the valley of the Usa river, not far from its arrow with the other large river Pechora . The richness of the region, magnificent nature, uncountable herds of deer and an abundance of fur-bearing animals attract the attention of the autocrats of Tsarist Russia, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the active settlement of Priusye begins. Under Stalin, the area was part of the Gulag camp system. This sad historical fact confirms the location here of the transshipment base for the northern camps, all regional special institutions, including the district department of the NKVD, located in the very center of the village of Usinsk. The airport, specially built for the needs of the camp enterprise, was attributed several kilometers west of the city.
Village of the harsh North
On July 20, 1984, a momentous event took place in the life of the district village of the Komi Republic. The village of Usinsk (Ust-Usa) was given the status of a city. It is from this date that the official course of history of not only the city, but also the entire region of the Republic, by the way, the youngest, begins. It is also worth noting that the city itself was built by the hands of oil workers and Komsomol members who were sent here on social trips, who built houses, hospitals, kindergartens and schools. Workers from Moscow, Ukhta, Sosnogorsk, Voyvozh and many other cities worked here. Among the social facilities, a cinema, a swimming pool, a palace of culture and a railway station were also erected. Partially modernized the airport of Usinsk. Residents of neighboring villages actively helped workers, supplying them with milk, potatoes and meat.
Nowadays
The modern terminal building went to the airport from the time of the Soviet Union. Several times the restored, partially modernized building, about ten years ago, was seriously homologated, enclosing the facade of the building with modern siding. The access of personal vehicles to the airport was revised in the direction of its improvement, the routes of departing and arriving passengers inside the terminal were changed, the international departure department with border control was added. The airdrome is equipped with a tower KDP, its own rescue team, medical staff with the possibility of veterinary control of arriving flights. The main contingent of employees and workers of the enterprise are residents of the city of Usinsk. The airport for them is a stable workplace with a constantly indexed salary. Several people arrive from other cities, working on a rotational basis, for example at the airport KDP. For nonresident employees, their own hostel is provided on the outskirts of the city of Usinsk.
Aviation development
The development of aviation in the northern region is based mainly on the delivery of shift workers to their place of work and back to their homeland. At least, this was exactly the case with the Soviet Union in small taiga towns remote from the rest of the world. Having your own airport in such a situation is an undeniable advantage. After all, after the flight, the shift workers were forced to shake for several more hours along the broken roads of the region, at best on an UAZ truck, and sometimes in an ordinary tent GAZ, at an ambient temperature of minus forty - minus fifty degrees. Therefore, the airport of Usinsk in those years played an important role in transporting labor to places of oil and natural gas production. The closer the casting of the advanced workers — the less time is required for their transfer to the field — the more minerals will be mined for the benefit of the people and the Soviet government.
Work days
After the collapse of the USSR, the airport becomes a civilian department and becomes regional. The terminal is undergoing major repairs. Usinsk Airport (photo from the times of the USSR and the modern image are very different) is completely transformed. Daily flights deliver passengers from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities of our country. Someone makes a transplant and goes even further: to Izhma, Ukhta, Vorkuta, Salekhard. After the millennium, the airport becomes the base for Komiaviatrans Airlines. The operator daily makes several flights from the city of Usinsk. The airport has signed cooperation agreements with several large companies. Today it is “Nordavia”, “Rusline”, “Center-South”, “Yamal”, “UTair”, “UTair-Express” and “S7”.
International departures
The presence of flights outside the Komi Republic automatically puts the airport in international status by Russian standards. However, it also meets the foreign requirements of this status. Charter flights send passengers to Turkey directly, without transfers, from Usinsk by the Turkish Airlines operator.
Infrastructure
Getting to the airport today is not difficult for residents of Usinsk. The airport is located just seven kilometers from the modern city limits. Nearby is a parking lot. There is a bus service between the airport and the city. In the terminal, passengers can find a cozy cafe, retail stores and souvenir products, payment terminals and ATMs. There is a private luggage compartment. In the departure lounge is a reference. Usinsk Airport offers its passengers to use the places of temporary stay in one of the three hotels located in the immediate vicinity of the airport.
Airfield Features
The airport is operated by the Komi MTU VT RF. According to the international classification, he was assigned a class “B”, which gives him the right to accept medium-range Boeing 737 and Airbus 319. The asphalt concrete runway with a length of 2500 meters and a width of 42 meters allows you to receive any aircraft with take-off weight up to 210 tons, including Tu-154, IL-76 and Yak-42, as well as any lighter winged vehicles. The airport is equipped with helicopter parking and has the ability to accept all types of helicopters. IATA code: USK, ICAO code: UUYS, internal: USN.