Government Okays a Roadmap for Constructing New Airfields in Arctic

On 9 February 2022, the Federal Government approved a roadmap to build new airfields in the Russian Arctic. A thirteen-step roadmap will be implemented in the coming two years.

The document prescribes that the authorities of the Russian Arctic territorial entities define which routes -- deemed to be of social significance -- should be established to connect various remote areas of the region. Based on these considerations, an interagency commission established for this purpose will come up with a list of airfields to be built/renovated. The commission will be made up of representatives of the Transport Ministry, the Ministry for Economic Development, the Far East and Arctic Ministry, the Ministry of Defense, the Construction Ministry, the Ministry of Health, the national aviation authority, and regional governments. Upon approval of the list, the Federal Government will consider funding the construction project.

The effort to bring more connectivity into the Russian Arctic is in line with the Strategy for Development in the Arctic and the Fundamental Policies of the Russian Federation in the Arctic approved back in 2020.

The adoption of the roadmap will improve the quality of life in the High North and spur the development of the region, the Government says. New airfields will bring more mobility options to members of remote polar communities thus opening the way for economic growth and opportunity across the Russian Arctic.