Airport Categories
Category I
Airports certified for regular wide-body operations, with robust facilities, frequent international movements, and ample hotels/hospitals. Suitable for diversions at any time. They offer adequate facilities and services, frequent international movements, access to numerous hospitals with complete facilities, and enough hotel rooms. These airports are well-equipped to handle diversions at any time.
| Airport | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| Almaty | ALA/UAAA | Good ground handling and passenger facilities, supporting frequent international movements. |
| Astana | TSE/UACC | Reliable ground handling and passenger services with frequent international operations. |
| Baku | GYD/UBBB | Strong ground handling and passenger amenities with frequent international traffic. CIQ processing may be lengthy. |
| Moscow (Sheremetyevo) | SVO/UUEE | Above average ground handling and passenger facilities. Frequent international movements. Approved for all aircraft types, available H24. |
| Moscow (Domodedovo) | DME/UUDD | Above average facilities. Frequent international movements. Approved for all aircraft types, available H24. |
| Novosibirsk | OVB/UNNT | Good ground handling and passenger facilities. Average international movements. Available H24. |
| Khabarovsk | KHV/UHHH | Good ground handling and passenger facilities. New international terminal. Average international operations. |
| St. Petersburg (Pulkovo) | LED/ULLI | Above average ground handling and passenger facilities. Frequent international movements. Available H24. |
| Tashkent | TAS/UTTT | Good runway and navigation equipment. Adequate ground handling and passenger facilities. |
| Tbilisi | TBS/UGTB | Good runways and navigation services. Adequate ground handling and passenger facilities. High runway elevation. |
| Vladivostok | VVO/UHWW | Good ground handling and passenger facilities. Frequent international movements. New terminal. Available H24. |
| Yekaterinburg | SVX/USSS | Adequate facilities for wide-body aircraft. Average international movements. Good passenger terminal and airport hotels. |
Category II
Airports with acceptable diversion facilities, adequate ground handling, and varying international movements. Hospitals and hotels meet acceptable standards.
| Airport | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| Bishkek | FRU/UAFM | Ground handling suitable for all aircraft types. Frequent international operations. Limited hospital facilities. CIQ may be lengthy. |
| Chelyabinsk | CEK/USCC | Good runway and navigation. Acceptable GH and passenger facilities. Low international movements. Reconstructed runway and aprons. |
| Kazan | KZN/UWKD | Good runway and navigation. Acceptable GH and passenger services. Low international movements. New terminal. |
| Krasnoyarsk | KJA/UNKL | Good GH. Average international movements. New terminal with ample transit space. |
| Samara | KUF/UWWW | Handles wide-body diversions. Adequate GH services. Frequent international movements. New passenger terminal. |
| Sochi | AER/URSS | Good GH and passenger services. Available H24 as alternate. |
| Tyumen | TJM/USTR | Good RW and navigation. Acceptable GH and passenger facilities. Low international movements. New terminal. Harsh winters; limited GH for wide-bodies. |
| Ufa | UFA/UWUU | Good RW and navigation. Adequate GH and passenger facilities. Average international movements. New international terminal. |
| Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy | PKC/UHPP | Adequate GH and equipment. New terminal. Limited operational hours. Low international movements. |
| Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk | UUS/UHSS | Acceptable GH facilities. New terminal. Low international movements. Limited operational hours. |
Category III
Airports with acceptable passenger facilities and adequate ground handling services. International movements are low, hotel availability is limited, and extreme winter weather is common. Diversion should be considered with caution, especially during severe conditions.
| Airport | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| Anadyr | DYR/UHMA | Adequate GH and passenger facilities. Limited hotels. Low international movements. Town separated from airport by Lake Liman. Limited hours. Harsh winters. |
| Ashgabat | ASB/UTAA | Good RW and navigation. Adequate GH and passenger facilities. Available as alternate only with prior coordination. |
| Bratsk | BTK/UIBB | Good RW and navigation. Marginal GH and passenger facilities. Low Int. movements. Limited space and hotels. Restricted operational hours. |
| Dushanbe | DYU/UTDD | Marginal GH and passenger services. Low Int. movements. New terminal. Alternate use only by prior coordination due to MTOW limits. |
| Kemerovo | KEJ/UNEE | Developing airport with good RW and navigation. Very marginal GH and passenger services. Low Int. movements. |
| Magadan | GDX/UHMM | Adequate GH. New terminal. Low Int. movements. Harsh winters. Limited hospitals and hotels. |
| Mineralnye Vody | MRV/URMM | Adequate GH and passenger facilities. Low Int. movements. Limited hotels. Low wide-body traffic. |
Category IV
Airports with marginal to poor passenger facilities and limited ground handling services for wide-body aircraft. International movements are low to none. Consider only if Category III airports are not viable.
| Airport | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| Abakan | ABA/UNAA | Acceptable RW and navigation. Marginal GH and passenger services. Low Int. movements. Limited wide-body support. |
| Aktobe | AKX/UATT | Good RW and navigation. Adequate GH and passenger services. Available H24. Limited wide-body experience. |
| Arkhangelsk | ARH/ULAA | Short RW (2500x44m). Marginal GH and passenger services. Very low Int. movements. Narrow taxiways. Limited English. |
| Blagoveshchensk | UHBB/BQS | Marginal GH and passenger facilities. Very low Int. movements. Limited hours. |
| Chita | HTA/UIAA | Marginal GH and passenger facilities. Very low Int. movements. RW29 requires 180° turn. Limited English. |
| Khanty-Mansiysk | HMA/USHH | Substandard GH and passenger services. Not approved for wide-body. Tight apron; diversion may close airport. |
| Nizhnevartovsk | NJC/USNN | Acceptable RW, poor GH for wide-body. No Int. movements. Limited English. |
| Nizhny Novgorod | GOJ/UWGG | Acceptable GH and passenger services. Not certified for wide-body. Very low Int. movements. New terminal. |
| Murmansk | MMK/ULM | Narrow RW (42m). Limited apron space for heavy aircraft. Low Int. movements. Limited GH. |
| Navoi | NVI/UTSA | Good RW and navigation. Substandard GH and passenger services. Low Int. movements. Problematic for wide-body ops. |
| Omsk | OMS/UNOO | Acceptable GH and passenger services. Not approved for wide-body. Low Int. movements. |
| Samarkand | SKD/UTSS | Good RW and navigation. Adequate GH and passenger services. Very low Int. movements. Fuel limited; prior coordination required. |
| Surgut | SGC/USRR | Not certified for wide-body. Adequate GH and passenger facilities. Low Int. movements. Harsh winters. |
| Perm | PEE/USPP | Acceptable RW and navigation. Not certified for wide-body. Adequate GH and passenger services. Low Int. movements. |
| Ulan Ude | UUD/UIUU | Not certified for wide-body. Very low Int. movements. Limited English. |
| Ulyanovsk (Vostochny) | ULY/UWLW | Acceptable RW and navigation. Adequate GH. Substandard passenger services. Limited wide-body equipment. |
| Yakutsk | YKS/UEEE | Limited GH for B787/A350. Extremely cold (-30°C to -60°C). Limited operational hours. |
Category V
Domestic airports with poor facilities and no English language services. Landings only authorized in dire emergencies on Polar routes. Very low infrastructure and severe winter conditions.
| Airport | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| Norilsk | NSK/UOOO | Not authorized for international operations except dire emergencies. No CIQ services. Extremely low temperatures and strong winds. Terminal under renovation. |
Category VI
Domestic airports for dire emergencies only. No English language services, inadequate facilities, and extremely low temperatures in winter. To be used only when no other airport is available.
| Airport | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| Khatanga | HTG/UOHH | Not authorized for international ops except dire emergencies. No CIQ or English ATC. No acceptable facilities. Extremely low temps in winter. |
| Mirny | MJZ/UERR | Not authorized for international ops except dire emergencies. Domestic airport. No CIQ. Marginal GH. Very low temps in winter. |
| Neryungri | NRG/UELL | Not authorized for international ops except dire emergencies. No GH. No CIQ or English ATC. Extremely low temps. |
| Poliarny | PJY/UERP | Not authorized for international ops except dire emergencies. Narrow RW (28m turns). One TW only. Extremely cold winters. Marginal GH. |
| Salekhard | SLY/USDD | Not authorized for international ops except dire emergencies. Low PCN for heavy AC. No CIQ. Marginal GH. Extremely cold. |
| Syktyvkar | SCW/UUYY | Low RW PCN. Marginal GH and passenger services. Very low Int. movements. Extremely cold. |
| Tiksi | IKS/UEST | Not authorized for international ops except dire emergencies. No GH. Daytime landings only. RW restrictions (RW21-1800m / RW03-2200m). Extremely |