The first Arctic hub in Russia is Sabetta International Airport. It is located not far from the settlement of the same name in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. The air transport hub is of strategic importance for the development of the oil and gas industry in the region.
Location
The shift camp Sabetta is located in close proximity to the airport. The air harbor is located on the eastern shore of the Yamal Peninsula, near the Gulf of Ob, belonging to the Kara Sea.
Infrastructure of the Yamal region
The Yamal region is quite difficult for the development and development of minerals. This is due not only to the harsh climate, but also to the underdeveloped infrastructure. One of the key objectives of the Yamal LNG project is to solve this problem.
The nearest air transport hub near the village of Sabetta was previously Bovanenkovo Airport. It was opened by the end of 2012 and is wholly owned by Gazprom. At the same distance from the village is the nearest railway station "Karskaya". Therefore, the problem of transport infrastructure seriously hindered the development of the South Tambeyskoye field.
Sabetta Airport (Yamal): construction
The construction of an air transport hub near the village of Sabetta was a large-scale Yamal LNG project. This project provides for the construction of the transport infrastructure of the South Tambeyskoye field, which is one of the largest in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District in terms of natural gas reserves. There is also a plant producing liquefied natural gas. Work on the construction of transport infrastructure was started in 2012, when they began to build the Sabetta airport. In the same year, the construction of the seaport began. The port is intended for navigation throughout the year along the Northern Sea Route. In the future, the Russian icebreaking fleet will be localized here.
The operator of the Arctic “air gates” is Sabetta International Airport, limited liability company, which, in turn, is owned by the Yamal LNG company, which implements the project for the development of the South Tambeyskoye field. Among the shareholders of Yamal LNG:
- Independent Russian company Novatek (holds 60% of shares).
- French oil and gas company Total (20% stake).
- National Oil and Gas Corporation of China CNPC (20% stake).
The total investment in the implementation of the Yamal CIS project, according to preliminary estimates, amounted to about $ 27 billion. Natural gas production reaches 30 billion cubic meters per year. Gas is mainly exported in a liquefied state. The estimated volume of raw material reserves is about 492 billion cubic meters, and other liquid hydrocarbons - 14 million tons.
The construction of the Arctic hub involved the use of the latest technologies for the construction of structures on permafrost watered soils. The project for the construction of a two-story building of the airport complex was published at the end of 2013 on the Novatek Internet portal. At the beginning of 2014, Yamal LNG reported that, according to preliminary estimates, the volume of investments in the construction of the air transport hub amounted to 150 million rubles.
The construction project of the complex involved two stages of work. The first included the construction of a service and passenger terminal located on an area of 36 × 42 m. The second provided for the construction of an international terminal on an area of 36 × 36.5 m and a building for a command and control tower. Thus, both terminals should be located on an area of 36 × 78.5 m. Initially, the opening of the first Arctic airport was planned for June 2015.
The project of the airfield complex included the construction of a runway and hangars for aircraft. The construction of the runway was completed by December 2014.
In July 2015, the airport management received a certificate of compliance for the operation of the airport. Also, the airport was entered in the state register. On October 5 of the same year, the Interstate Aviation Committee officially recognized the suitability of the airport for receiving and sending international flights. And on December 24, a checkpoint across the state border opened.
Sabetta Airport: Opening
Despite the fact that the opening of the hub was planned for 2015, the first flight was accepted in 2014. On December 22, the first plane flew into the village of Sabetta. It was the Boeing 737 of the domestic carrier UTair. The flight was mainly of a technical nature. Reception of aircraft and servicing of passenger flights began on February 2, 2015. For international flights, the airport opened on July 29 of the same year. The reason for this was the order of the Russian government, as well as the installation of a cargo and passenger checkpoint across the state border. The first international flight took place on the night of March 4, 2016, which was carried out along the route "Beijing - Sabetta - Moscow". The aircraft arrived from the Chinese capital and delivered four passengers to Sabetta (Yamal District), and then departed for Moscow.
Runway characteristics
Sabetta Airport has a runway made of reinforced concrete, which fully complies with the requirements of the first category of ICAO. The dimensions of the strip are 2704 m in length and 46 m in width.
Accepted aircraft types
The Arctic hub can receive and send the following types of airliners:
- "IL-76."
- "Airbus A-320".
- Boeing 737-300.
- Boeing 767-200.
He is also able to receive aircraft with lighter take-off weight and all types of helicopters.
Airlines, flights
At present, Sabetta Airport is servicing regular rotational passenger flights operated by UTair and Yamal domestic companies.
UTair operates flights from Sabetta to Moscow (Vnukovo Airport), Novy Urengoy and Samara. Air carrier "Yamal" operates flights to Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) and Novy Urengoy.
Thus, the Arctic airport of Sabetta has an important strategic national significance. It was built as part of the Yamal LNG project, designed to improve the transport infrastructure of the South Tambey natural gas field. The construction of the hub began almost from scratch in 2012 and ended by the end of 2014. Vladimir Putin notes that the financing of the project comes from private and public funds. UTair General Director A. Martirosov believes that the opening of the airport will increase the level of transport accessibility of the Yamal Peninsula and will become an impetus for the development of the north-west of Siberia. Sabetta village has actually become the largest international air transport hub in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.