The Russian government has decided to open the Varandey airport for international flights in connection with the upcoming launch of the Prirazlomnoye oil field. The airport will also get the necessary border admission facilities, Oilru.com reports.
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As reported by BarentsObserver, the Prirazlomnaya platform is currently on its way to the Pechora Sea after final adjustments in Murmansk. The installation, which has been built by the Sevmash yard in Severodvinsk, is Russia’s first offshore production platform built for Arctic conditions. It will operate at the Prirazlomnoye field in the Pechora Sea, an oil-rich area located north of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Production launch of the Prirazlomnoye field is planned for the first quarter of 2012.
The Varandey airport will serve as a key transport point for the Prirazlomnoye project. From before, Varandey is a hub for Lukoil’s oil production in the Timan-Pechora province.
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The airport today serves both helicopters and small-size aircrafts. In 2005, a Russian An-24 aircraft crashed nearby the airport, killing 29 oilmen.
