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80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany

Volgograd airport officially receives historical name Stalingrad

The push to restore the airport’s historic name originated from World War II veterans in the Volgograd Region

MOSCOW, April 30. /TASS/. Volgograd’s international airport, commonly known as Gumrak, has officially been granted the historic name of Stalingrad. The decision was announced through a formal order signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, according to the government’s press service.

The airport’s origins date back to the 1930s when the Volga Civil Air Fleet Administration issued a directive to establish the Stalingrad air detachment, based near the Voroponovo railway station. By 1936, the airfield was operational, handling both passenger and cargo flights. However, during the intense battles with Nazi forces, the facility suffered significant destruction.

Following the victory at Stalingrad, military industries in the city underwent rapid reconstruction, and new production facilities emerged. The city’s population surged, and the existing civil airport at Voroponovo could no longer accommodate the increasing passenger and freight traffic. In 1952, the North Caucasus Civil Aviation Administration decided to relocate the air harbor, along with its personnel, to the Gumrak airfield, where a transport aviation unit was established. Up until 1961, the airport was officially known as Stalingrad (Gumrak), a fact confirmed by numerous archival documents.

The push to restore the airport’s historic name originated from World War II veterans in the Volgograd Region. This initiative was brought to the attention of President Vladimir Putin by Governor Andrey Bocharov. The President expressed support for the proposal, honoring the city’s wartime legacy through this renaming.

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