YAKUTSK, November 13 (RIA Novosti) -The authorities in Eastern Siberia’s republic of Yakutia have asked the Defense Ministry to reopen a remote airport that serves the most northerly town in Russia.
The Defense Ministry-owned airport in Tiksi, which has around 6,000 permanent residents and sees polar nights from mid-November to late January, was closed on October 1 after officials ruled it was unfit to accept flights.
The closure of the airport left dozens of local residents stranded across Russia earlier last month. Travel to and from the town is currently only possible by helicopter.
Reconstruction of the 1,750 meter runway is due to begin next year and is to be completed in 2015.