Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Pulkovo Airport (ULLI/LED) is the principal international gateway serving St Petersburg, Russia, lying some 23 km south of the city centre in Leningrad Oblast. A major hub for Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines, it offers a sim pilot two long, ILS-equipped parallel runways and a dense, multi-frequency ATC environment typical of a large Russian international airport.
Pulkovo is the international airport serving St Petersburg, situated in Leningrad Oblast around 23 km south of the city centre. It is operated as a hub for Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines and serves as a focus city for Smartavia, handling a substantial volume of domestic and international traffic. For a simulator pilot it presents the challenge and interest of flying into one of Russia's busiest airports, with parallel long runways, full ILS coverage, and a layered air traffic control structure covering delivery, ground, radar, tower and ramp functions.
Pulkovo lies in Leningrad Oblast, about 23 km south of central St Petersburg. As a major international airport it sits within controlled airspace with a full suite of air traffic services, reflected in the range of dedicated frequencies for delivery, ground, radar, apron, ramp and tower control. The field's coordinates place it at 59.8003N, 30.2625E, with an elevation of 66 feet.
Pulkovo has two parallel hard-surfaced runways, both lit and equipped with ILS. The main runway, 10R/28L, is 12,384 feet long, while the parallel runway, 10L/28R, is 11,086 feet long. Both runways support instrument approaches, making the field usable in a wide range of weather conditions.
Pulkovo provides a full range of air traffic services across multiple frequencies. Pulkovo Delivery operates on 121.9 MHz, Pulkovo Ground on 121.7 MHz, and Pulkovo Apron on 120.9 MHz. Pulkovo Radar is available on 120.3 MHz, and Pulkovo Ramp on 119 MHz, with a Transit frequency on 131.8 MHz. Tower services are split across three frequencies: 118.1 MHz and 118.7 MHz for Pulkovo Tower, and a dedicated 133.5 MHz Pulkovo Tower frequency for VFR traffic. ATIS broadcasts are provided in both English (127.3 MHz) and Russian (127.4 MHz). Both runways are served by ILS.
A dedicated VFR tower frequency, 133.5 MHz, is provided separately from the main IFR tower frequencies, indicating that VFR traffic is handled through its own procedures distinct from the scheduled airline flow. No further detail on specific joining procedures, circuit heights or noise abatement restrictions is available.
Construction of the aerodrome near Leningrad began in January 1931 and was completed on 24 June 1932, when the first aircraft arrived after a flight from Moscow. Originally named Shosseynaya Airport after the nearby railway station, it opened regular routes to Petrozavodsk, Pudozh, Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. A new terminal building was begun in 1937, designed by architects Aleksandr Ivanovich Gegello and N.E. Lansere, but construction halted in July 1941 following the German invasion. The airport became the front line during the Siege of Leningrad, with the nearby Pulkovo hills occupied by German forces and used for artillery bombardment of the city; there were no flights between 1941 and 1944. The airport was cleared of German forces in January 1944, and cargo and mail flights resumed once the runways were repaired in 1945, with scheduled passenger flights returning in February 1948. By 1949 the airport served fifteen major Soviet cities plus regional routes. A runway extension in the mid-1950s allowed larger aircraft such as the Ilyushin-18 and Tupolev-104 to operate, and on 15 March 1959 a Tu-104 became the first commercial jet to take off from the airfield. Regional aircraft such as the An-24 and Yak-40 appeared in the early 1960s, and ICAO Category 1 standards were implemented in 1965, opening the way for international operations; by the late 1960s over sixty airlines served the airport. It was awarded the Order of the October Revolution on 8 February 1971 and renamed Pulkovo Airport on 24 April 1973, the same year the new Pulkovo 1 terminal opened as a domestic facility. The older pre-war terminal building was redesignated Pulkovo 2 and used for international flights. Passenger traffic grew steadily through the 1970s and 1980s, peaking at over ten million passengers in 1990, before declining after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The airport gained independence from the Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise in 2005.
Pulkovo continues to operate as a major international airport and hub for Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines, also serving as a focus city for Smartavia. It ranks as one of the busiest airports in Russia and the post-Soviet states, and among the busiest in Europe. Its two long parallel runways, both fitted with ILS, support high-volume scheduled operations, and the airport's layered radio infrastructure, including a dedicated VFR tower frequency, reflects its role as a significant controlled aerodrome for both commercial and general aviation traffic.