On July 1, the first aircraft will land in Pobedilovo after repairs.

      The major renovation of the runway at Pobedilovo Airport is just the first stage of a large-scale upgrade. According to the project passport, the customer is the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Administration of Civil Airports (Aerodromes)", the general contractor is JSC "PO "Vozrozhdenie" (Director Dmitry Konstantinovich Popov), and the subcontractor is LLC "SU-43". The contract duration, as per the documents, is until December 31, 2027.

      As reported today, June 30, by participants of the press briefing, out of the planned 220,000 square meters of asphalt concrete surface, 180,000 have already been laid. A total of 80,000 tons of asphalt have been used on the site. However, this is not the end: the remaining 50,000 "squares" will be completed alongside the airport's operations without interference.

      Alexander Yuryevich Vavilov, the chief engineer of LLC "SU-43", explained that it was initially planned to work during technological "windows" at night without fully closing the airport. However, due to the scale of the work, it was ultimately decided to close the air harbor during the renovation and work around the clock, which allowed for a quick completion. According to him, the quality was not compromised: each layer of asphalt was allowed to set for at least a day after laying, after which cores were taken and tests were conducted. Construction control was present on-site 24/7.

      "Under the concrete — one-dimensional sand"

      The main surprise, according to Vavilov, was discovered after the old asphalt was removed. In two places — at the 16th and 14th stakes — the concrete base was damaged. The total area of the defective sections was over 150 square meters. Under the concrete, there were voids caused by groundwater — the airport, as the engineer noted, is built on a swamp.

      "When we uncovered the base, broke the concrete, we saw that under the concrete there was one-dimensional sand, so-called, which needed to be replaced and stabilized," Vavilov explained. "We had to dismantle everything: replace the base, replace the soil, remove everything, create drainage, and restore the concrete base with reinforcement. Only after that could we begin laying the asphalt concrete."

      These works were not initially included in the contract — only asphalt replacement was planned. However, a commission involving designers (FSUE GPI and NII GA "AeroProject") decided to uncover the problematic areas. If asphalt had been laid on such a base, subsidence would have inevitably occurred during the landing of an 80-ton aircraft, the builders emphasized.

      A five-year warranty, but it will last ten

      Denis Gruzdev, the project manager from FSUE "Administration of Civil Airports", clarified that the new surface was made according to the new GOST in two layers. Moreover, a reinforcing mesh was laid under the asphalt, which, according to Gruzdev, eliminates ruts and makes the surface more durable.

      "The warranty period is five years," Gruzdev said. "But if everything is done under normal operating conditions, this surface will last 10 years. It depends on the loads, but the mesh is laid everywhere."

      The width of the updated runway is 52 meters, and the length is 2.8 kilometers. After the renovation, the airport will be able to accept medium-haul aircraft — including the A321 and Boeing 737 types. Before the renovation, as noted by the acceptance participants, only fourth-class aircraft could land here. Now, according to specialists, the margin of safety allows for the acceptance of heavier aircraft. As reported by the airport director Pavel Konovalov, starting tomorrow, the air harbor will resume full operations.

      The first flight and future plans

      Tomorrow, July 1, the first aircraft after the renovation will arrive at Pobedilovo. Traditionally, it will be greeted with candies and kvass — this was shared by the participants of the press briefing. Currently, the airport has eight open routes, including Makhachkala — twice a week.

      Kirov region governor Alexander Sokolov, who also attended the event, emphasized that the runway renovation and the installation of modern navigation equipment were financed from the federal budget through Rosaviatsiya. The region acted only as a customer in this process, controlling the timelines.

      "The margin of safety is now very large," the governor stated. "The runway is designed for a decade. We have the most modern equipment. The main task now is to develop the transportation network so that the airport becomes self-sustaining. The more flights, the fewer subsidies. This benefits both the economy and the residents of the region."

      It is worth noting that the renovation of the runway at Kirov's Pobedilovo Airport was initially planned to be completed by June 8, 2026. However, it was postponed — first to June 20, then to June 30.