Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Hostomel Airport, better known to many as Antonov Airport, lies a few kilometres northwest of Kyiv and was built as Antonov's own flight-test and cargo base, home for many years to the giant An-225 Mriya. The field became the focus of intense fighting in the opening days of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its long, ILS-equipped runway and facilities were heavily damaged in the battle that followed. For the simulator pilot it offers one of the longest runways in Europe and a uniquely significant slice of recent aviation and military history.
Hostomel Airport, officially Antonov Airport, is an international cargo airport and aircraft-testing facility at Hostomel, a town on the northwestern edge of Kyiv. It is owned by and named after the Antonov aircraft manufacturing company and was operated by its subsidiary, Antonov Airlines. The field is best known as the former home of the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's largest cargo aircraft, and more recently as the site of a major battle in the opening hours of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. For a virtual pilot it combines an enormous single runway, a test-flying pedigree, and a dramatic and very recent history.
The airport sits at Hostomel, a suburb roughly 10 to 12 miles (around 16 to 19 kilometres) northwest of central Kyiv, close to the European route E373. It is one of three airports serving Kyiv, alongside Boryspil and Zhuliany. Its proximity to the capital gave it considerable strategic value in 2022, being close enough to allow rapid movement of troops and equipment toward the city.
Hostomel has a single physical runway, 15/33, with a hard surface measuring 11,473 feet in length. It is lit and equipped with an ILS. Field elevation is 509 feet.
The published tower frequency for Hostomel is TWR 118.15 MHz. The runway is equipped with an ILS, supporting instrument approaches to the field's single long runway.
Construction of the airport began in 1959 as a top-secret in-house Flight Testing and Improvement Base for Antonov aircraft, complete with specialised equipment such as an artificial lightning generator and a dedicated test-flight zone. Its sister manufacturing facility was located within Kyiv at the Sviatoshyn Airfield. Commercial cargo operations began in 1989 as the Antonov Design Bureau's activities were demilitarised and commercialised. The airport became the base for the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's largest cargo aircraft, and was used by Antonov Airlines and other cargo carriers, with facilities for air-to-road and air-to-rail transshipment, storage, border control and customs, and aircraft maintenance. The Ukrainian Air Force also used the field for transport operations. On 24 February 2022, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the airport was attacked by Russian VDV airborne forces in an assault aimed at establishing an air bridge to threaten Kyiv directly. Ukrainian forces initially repelled the attack, but a renewed assault the following day, combined with armoured reinforcements advancing from the Belarusian border, allowed Russian forces to capture the airport. Fighting continued in and around Hostomel for weeks, and Ukrainian forces did not fully regain control until 2 April 2022. The An-225 Mriya was destroyed in its hangar during the battle, along with a number of other aircraft, and the airport's runway and facilities sustained extensive damage. The unexpected Ukrainian resistance is credited with disrupting Russia's plan for a rapid seizure of Kyiv. Following the battle, Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson visited the damaged airport with the Ukrainian president and expressed interest in helping fund its reconstruction.
Hostomel remains an Antonov-owned cargo and test-flying airport, but it sustained extensive damage to its runway, hangars and other facilities during the 2022 battle, and the An-225 that had been based there was destroyed. No current details on operating hours, fuel availability or civil access are given in the available sources.