Sokol Airport

Sokol Airport Аэропорт Сокол
IATA: GDX ICAO: UHMM
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	FSUE "Airport Magadan"
Serves	Magadan
Location	Magadan, Russia
Hub for	Yakutia Airlines
Elevation AMSL	574 ft / 175 m
Coordinates	59°54′40″N 150°43′14″E / 59.91111°N 150.72056°E / 59.91111; 150.72056Coordinates: 59°54′40″N 150°43′14″E / 59.91111°N 150.72056°E / 59.91111; 150.72056
Website	www.airport-magadan.ru
Map
GDX Location of airport in Magadan Oblast
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 10/28 11,326 3,452 Concrete
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 350,556 Freight 8,724 ton

Passengers	350,556
Freight	8,724 ton

Sokol Airport (Russian: Аэропорт Сокол) (IATA: GDX, ICAO: UHMM) is an airport in Sokol in Magadan Oblast, Russia. The airport is located 70 km (43 mi) north of the Magadan city center. The airport is sometimes confused with Dolinsk-Sokol air base in Sakhalin Island, which was home to the fighters that shot down Korean Air Flight 007.

In 1991, the town gained exposure to the Western world with the inauguration of Alaska Airlines flights to the United States using McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets. According to an anecdotal story published in the New York Times, the first Alaska Airlines flight needed deicing services, which were unavailable, so the flight crew acquired a quantity of vodka and sprayed it onto the wings. In 1995 the airline threatened to discontinue Russian service due to difficulties with contract workers. Alaska Airlines flights into Magadan and elsewhere in Russia were halted in October 1998 shortly after the 1998 Russian financial crisis, which rendered the routes unprofitable.

Aeroflot suspended flights to Sokol airport on February 1, 2009, due to the planned removal from service of the Tu-154 aircraft. Aeroflot cited the lack of certification of the airport in the acceptance and servicing of more modern aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 and Airbus A330, as the primary reason for the suspension of flights. It resumed service on March 30, 2009.

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