New runway at Grozny airport opens with MS-21 jet flight

A Yakovlev MS-21 medium-haul jet was the first aircraft to use the newly inaugurated runway at Grozny International Airport in Russia's North Caucasus region. It had flown in the previous day from Moscow's Zhukovsky airfield, then took off from the new runway as part of the official opening ceremony.

The aircraft was the import-substituted version of the MS-21, built with domestically sourced components in place of parts previously supplied by Western manufacturers. The flight was also the type's first appearance in the North Caucasus region.

Grozny airport has been undergoing extensive modernisation work. According to the report, a new air traffic control tower, standing 50 metres tall, was brought into operation there last year.

No further details were given on the runway's length or capacity, or on the timeline for completing the wider airport upgrade.