A seminar on small aircraft aviation in the Arctic was held in Moscow within the framework of the action plan of Russia’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council, the operator being the Roscongress Foundation. Representatives from transportation agencies and organizations of the Arctic states and Indigenous peoples of the Arctic attended the seminar. The Chair of the Sustainable Development Working Group provided welcoming remarks. The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) were the official organizers.
The participants considered such topics as improving the route network in the Arctic region, development of air transportation, the introduction of unmanned aircraft and coordination in the field of search and rescue between the Arctic countries.
The seminar noted the need to strengthen cooperation between the Arctic states on infrastructure development in the region, including the development of the route network to ensure transport accessibility of Arctic residents.
“Due to the lack of alternative modes of transport in the Arctic, transporting people and delivering goods is impossible without aviation. The insufficiently developed airfield network of the Arctic region dictates the need to develop small aircraft aviation, including unmanned aircrafts that can carry out transportation with small landing grounds and unpaved runways,” stressed Igor Chalik, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation.
Artur Chilingarov, a special envoy of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic, noted in his greeting that small aircrafts in the Arctic both deliver people and cargo to remote areas and carry out scientific research and implementation of international scientific projects, as well as search and rescue operations.
The Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, together with the Ministry of Transport of Russia and the Federal Air Transport Agency, are working to improve aviation accessibility of the Arctic territories and modernize the airport infrastructure. Today, there are at least 39 airports in the Arctic zone of Russia, ten of which will be modernized by 2027.
The participants also discussed the prospects for developing the air navigation services and route network in the Arctic zone. Amendments to the federal aviation regulations are currently being prepared and will allow the use of remote video surveillance for air traffic control. The technology will be especially relevant for remote airports of the Far North. In particular, such equipment is supposed to be installed in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yakutsk and Magan airports.
The seminar also considered the technologies for building runways in the Arctic regions of Russia and Canada, the experience of operating aviation equipment, the specific features of pilot training for the Arctic zone, the prospects of using helicopter technology, and the plans of Russian Post JSC for unmanned cargo delivery. A separate discussion was held on the development of tourist routes in the region to increase the flow of tourists between the Arctic states.
The recording of the event is available at: https://arctic-council-russia.ru/events/ceminar-po-razvitiyu-maloy-aviatsii-v-arktike/ .
