Kyrylo Khomiakov, The Head of State Agency for Infrastructure Projects of Ukraine

 

 

The State Agency for Infrastructure Projects of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Infrastructure has initiated the first stage of construction works of a new airfield at  “Dnipropetrovsk” International Airport. This is a very important event for the residents of Dnipro city and the region. I will explain why.

The existing airfield of “Dnipropetrovsk” International Airport was built in the middle of the last century. Its current condition does not meet the requirements that are put forward for modern airfields today: worn out runway, outdated equipment, both morally and physically.

The issue of airport reconstruction has been worked out several times. For the first time - in 2008-2009, when the city of Dnipropetrovsk was a candidate to host the matches of the final stage of the 2012 European Football Championship and, accordingly, the airport was supposed to accommodate a significant number of fans, but then the city did not manage to win this right, and the issue of reconstruction of the airfield, respectively has not been resolved. For the second time this question was considered in 2013, when Ukraine received a right to host the 2015 European Basketball Championship. The project for the reconstruction of airfield was developed and approved by the Government. But due to the political events of 2014 Ukraine lost the right to host this championship and again the issue of reconstruction of the airfield became irrelevant.

The new airport will have:

     • runway of 3200 meters length;

     • main and connecting taxiways;

     • new airport aprons;

     • modern lighting and meteorological equipment.

     • radio-technical landing equipment, which will allow safe operation of the airport in difficult weather conditions, that is very important for the city of Dnipro, since its location near the Dnipro river causes frequent and thick fogs. The current conditions of the airport can not ensure the reception and departure of aircrafts.

The new runway will allow to receive aircrafts under a code letter “E” (Boeing-777 type).

The construction project of a new airport ensures  uninterrupted operation of flights at the existing airport "Dnepropetrovsk". That’s why the first stage is a preparatory work, in particular:

• dismantling of transformer substations and remote control systems;

• removal of communication cables and power supply;

• switching of lighting equipment;

• relocation of meteorological sites.

 

The implementation term of these works is up to two months, the cost is about 12 million hryvnia. This will allow to proceed directly to the construction of the airport right after the completion of tender for general contractor. Its total cost will be about UAH 6 billion.

According to standard terms of construction for objects of this level of complexity, the building of a new airport in Dnipro will take about three years. Financing is supposed to come from the state budget.

In parallel with the construction of the runway, LLC “NS-Dnepr” has began the construction of a new terminal which will provide a modern level of comfort and services for passengers.

If the financing of the project is stable, in a few years the  citizens of Dnipro will receive a new modern airport built in accordance with all international standards.