Jelgava Air Base
| Jelgava Airfield Jelgavas lidlauks | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Civil | ||||||||||
| Operator | City authorities | ||||||||||
| Location | Jelgava, Latvia | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1938 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 20 ft / 6 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 56°40′18″N 023°40′42″E / 56.67167°N 23.67833°ECoordinates: 56°40′18″N 023°40′42″E / 56.67167°N 23.67833°E | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Jelgava Airfield (ICAO: EVEA) is an airfield in Latvia located on the north border of Jelgava, a city in Latvia. During Soviet times, it was a military forward deployment attack base, but now is used by general aviation.
History
Jelgava airport construction began in 1937 and finished in 1938[1]. It was originally planned as civil airport, however, after Soviet annexation of Latvia in 1940 it became a base for Soviet military aircraft[1], and continued so after WWII was over. Since 1945, the airfield was used by various Soviet air force units[2]. Air Base Jelgava was part of the first defense line of the Soviet Union. While Air Base Tukums was one of the main Soviet Air Force bases in Latvia for aircraft like the Mig-29 and SU-27, air base Jelgava was a back up base with one runway. The air base was maintained for possible backup and used for helicopters and some light aircraft. In the 1980s the runway was extended to be 2500 meters long and 45 meters wide to allow use by jet aircraft.
The 285th OVE REB (Russian Отдельная вертолётная эскадрилья Радиоэлектронной борьбы, Independent Electronic Warfare Helicopter Squadron) flying modifications of Mi-8 aircraft was based here from 1979. In the late 1980s Riga DOSAAF relocated to the adjacent field from Spilve and used it for skydiving and gliding sport. Due to Latvian independence, in 1992 the helicopter squadron was relocated to Lyambir air base near Saransk, and later dissolved. The airfield was since then used by general aviation, mostly skydivers and small aircraft. The skydiving operation was shut down in 2010 due to death of the dropzone owner. The same year, a larger portion of runway concrete was removed, shortening it to just 800 meters, and narrowing to 20 meters. Most taxiways and aircraft parking spots were also removed[3].
As of 2018, the airfield takes up only a fraction of the former air base territory. Most of the territory is reclaimed by nature, and the majority of former military buildings are abandoned or collapsed. Some areas are also used for airsoft games and ATV riding.