Donetsk Airport

Sergei Prokofiev Airport
Characteristics
ICAO code	UKCC
IATA code	DOK
Coordinates	48 ° 4 '25 "  N , 37 ° 44' 23"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 4 '25 "  N , 37 ° 44' 23"  E
Height above MSL	241 m (791  ft )
Basic data
opening	1933
closure	Destroyed by the war in Ukraine in 2014
Start-and runway
08/26	4000 m × 60 m asphalt

The Donetsk International Airport (English as Donetsk International Airport known IATA code DOK ) was an airport near the city of Donetsk in the Ukraine .

The history of Donetsk Airport began on July 27, 1931, when the City Soviet decided to build a civil airfield for Stalino (the city had been named in honor of Stalin since 1924 ). It opened in 1933. The airport was used for military purposes during World War II . In the years after the war, the airport developed very slowly at first; in the 1970s the importance of the airport in Ukraine increased . At the same time, the runway was extended to 2500 m in 1974, investments were made in air traffic control and a new passenger building was inaugurated. Great growth began after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the independence of Ukraine; some Central European destinations were added to the route network. In the summer of 2011, the runway with a length of 4000 m was opened. The airport was named after the composer Sergei Prokofiev . The airport was completely destroyed in the Ukraine war .

Ukraine crisis and war

→ Main articles : First battle for Donetsk airport  and Second battle for Donetsk airport

View of the destroyed Donetsk airport from a position of the Ukrainian army in April 2015. The Russian flag can be seen on the roof in the background .

The airport played an important role in Ukrainian civil aviation until the beginning of the war in Ukraine . The handling facilities had a capacity of 700 passengers per hour. Many multinational airlines flew to the airport. The route network included destinations mainly in the CIS countries , in Central Europe, in holiday regions overseas and in the Middle East.

On May 25, 2014, the day after the presidential election in Ukraine , the airport was taken over by separatists and closed. Subsequently it was recaptured by Ukrainian troops in the Ukraine War. All flights were suspended until June 30, 2014. An early resumption of operations was considered unlikely, as the terminal building was badly damaged and devastated during the fighting and partly collapsed.

The airport later became the focal point of the fighting between the separatists, who favored Russia (see: Donetsk People's Republic ) and the Ukrainian government troops. Despite various armistice agreements, the separatists tried to conquer the area, while Ukraine did not want to give up the airport. After international OSCE observers were prevented from investigating the situation on January 14, 2015, the separatists announced on January 15, 2015 that the area was completely occupied.

Web links

• Airport data on World Aero Data ( 2006 )

Commons : Donetsk International Airport  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ FAZ.net: After the presidential election deaths in skirmishes in Donetsk .
2. ↑ OSCE observers are in the hands of separatists in welt.de ; last accessed on May 28, 2014.
3. ↑ До уваги пасажирів! ( Memento of the original from May 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Аеропорт імені Прокоф'єва офіційно закритий до кінця червня ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
5. ↑ novosti.dn.ua: В интернете появились фото разгромленного аэропорта имени Прокофьева ФОТО (Ukrainian), June 27, 2014.
6. ↑ "Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 14 January 2015" , OSCE from January 15, 2015, viewed on January 15, 2015.
7. ↑ Ukraine warns of "continental war" , Welt from January 15, 2015, sighted on January 15, 2015.
8. ↑ zeit.de: The war is decided at the airport , January 20, 2015.