According to the former head of the Nagorno-Karabakh Civil Aviation Department, Dmitry Atbashian, the Stepanakert airport has the proper capabilities to receive Il-76 cargo aircraft, Airbus-320 and 321, Boeing 337 and SuperJet passenger planes.
The airport’s current runway measures at 2270 meters, with a width of 45 meters, compared to 37 meters in the past. Atbashian said that in the Soviet Union, the airport operated with a daily service of 8-10 flights, and 20-25 flights during the Karabakh war.
Atbashian said that prior to the airport’s reconstruction, the Russian Airproject company had concluded that the airport in Stepanakert could not service flights using navigation devices. However, new devices that can support flights during bad weather conditions and at night were installed during the reconstruction project. Atbashian said that the navigation systems of Armenia and Karabakh are unified, meaning that air traffic controllers of Yerevan flights can also support flights in Karabakh.
Atbashian also said that the Stepanakert airport could receive aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces being used in Syria for Russia’s anti-terror operations.
Atbashian said that the airport’s location was convenient for that purpose, but refused to answer any further questions about supporting Russia’s activities in the Middle East.
In a press-conference held in Moscow on November 12, Artsakh President Pago Sahagian said that the Stepanakert airport could be used by Russian Aerospace Forces.
