Antonov Airport aeroˈport anˈtonof), formerly known as Hostomel Airport ) is an international cargo

Cargo aircraft

A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...

 airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 in Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, located near Hostomel

Hostomel

Hostomel, also known as Gostomel , is a town in Ukraine's Kiev Oblast, north-western suburb to the capital city of Kiev....

 — the northwestern suburb of Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

 (Boryspil

Boryspil Airport

Boryspil International Airport is an international airport located west of Boryspil, east of Kiev. It is Ukraine's largest airport, serving the major part of international flights of the country, and is one of three airports that serve Kiev, along with the smaller Zhulyany Airport and Gostomel...

 and Zhulyany are the other two airports that serve Kiev). It is also a major aircraft test facility.

The only An-225

Antonov An-225

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft, designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It is the world's heaviest aircraft. The design, built in order to transport the Buran orbiter, was an enlargement of the successful An-124 Ruslan...

, world's largest operating aircraft, is based in Hostomel.

Cargo operations

The airport is operated by the Antonov ASTC

Antonov

Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...

 and used by Antonov Airlines

Antonov Airlines

Antonov Airlines is a Ukrainian cargo airline. It operates international charter services in the world oversized cargo market. Its main base is Gostomel Airport near Kiev...

, as well as by other interested cargo carriers. The following facilities and services are available on site:

• transshipping (air-to-auto; air-to-railway)
• storage capacities
• border control
  Border control
  Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...
  
   and customs
  Customs
  Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
  
  
• aircraft maintenance

Aircraft testing operations

Hostomel Airport is also a testing base for new models of Antonov planes, possessing special equipment for it (e.g., artificial lightning

Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...

 generator) and a purpose test flight zone. Its sister facility, responsible for manufacturing, is located inside Kiev at the Sviatoshyn Airfield.

Military presence

Ukrainian Air Force

Ukrainian Air Force

The Ukrainian Air Force is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force Command and headquarters are located in the city of Vinnytsia....

is either using or was using the airport for its transportation forces.

External links

• Antonov Airport at Antonov ASTC corporate Web site
• NOAA/NWS Weather observations for the Antonov Airport
• ASN Accident history for the Antonov Airport