Shirak Airport

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Shirak Airport
Շիրակ Օդակայան
IATA: LWN – ICAO: UDSG
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia
Operator Armenia International Airports CJSC, owned by Corporation America
Serves Gyumri
Location Gyumri, Shirak, Armenia
Elevation AMSL 5000 ft / 1524 m
Coordinates 40°45′01″N 43°51′33″E / 40.75028, 43.85917
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
02/20 10,564 3,220 Asphalt

Shirak Airport (IATA: LWN, ICAO: UDSG) is an international airport serving Gyumri and the province of Shirak. It is located about 5 km from the center of Gyumri. The airport was inaugurated in 1961, and is the second largest airport in the country, after Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport. At present, the airport has scheduled flights to Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Sochi.

At the start of 2006, Armenia felt the importance of having a second international airport, when adverse weather conditions meant that many flights had to be diverted from Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport into Gyumri’s Shirak Airport. New traffic control equipment has now been put into operation at the airport, which allows identification of planes within a 400 km radius. The equipment is a newly developed system and according to the Czech company that implemented it, this is the first time it has been installed at an airport in a mountainous location, and the experience from it’s installation will serve as a model for its future installation in other regions.

Contents

[edit] New ownership

On August 3rd, 2007, the government of Armenia announced that it had agreed to include the management of operations at Armenia's second largest airport (Shirak) in the 30-year concession agreement that it signed with Armenia International Airports CJSC in December 2001 to take over operations at Zvartnots International Airport. Armenia International Airports CJSC is owned by Corporacion America, an Argentinean company which operates several airports across South America, which is owned in turn by Eduardo Eurnekian. According to Artem Movsisian, head of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia, Corporacion America will have to turn the airport in Gyumri into a first-class airport. He also said the company has pledged to invest $10 million this year to start modernization program and within the upcoming years it will invest more to make the airport comply with international standards. Among other commitments is to provide free landing and take-off services to the Armenian Military.

Shirak Airport was closed for renovations from June 20th til October 20, 2007, during which time the runway was repaved and work was done on the airport lighting and the main terminal.

[edit] Statistics

Year 2005 [1] 2006 [2] 2007 [2]
Departing Passenger Traffic 18,800 24,011 11,339
Arriving Passenger Traffic 27,300 22,399 7,291
Total Passenger Traffic 46,100 46,410 18,630
Exported freight (tons) 20 3.1 N/A
Imported freight (tons) 126 15 6.2
Total freight (tons) 146 18.1 6.2
Aircraft movements (departure or landing) 472 355 166

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1] General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia - 2005-2006 Statistics
  2. ^ a b [2] General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia - 2006-2007 Statistics

[edit] External links

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