New airport to be built on Russia Iturup Island
A new airport is to be built on Russia’s Iturup Island. It will replace the old airport, from which Japanese kamikadze pilots took off during World War II.
That airport was built before World War II, when the island belonged to Japan, and its runway was designed only for fighter jets. Later it was reconstructed for the landing and takeoff of An-24 planes, but still it does not meet present-day aviation demands.
A total of 1.2 billion roubles will be allocated from the federal budget for the construction of the airport. It will be built closer to the Sea of Okhotsk coast, where more sunny days are registered.
The present Burevestnik airport is situated on the Pacific side of the island, which is often foggy. This impedes regular air communication between Iturup and Sakhalin.
© Itar-Tass
