Novosibirsk Tolmachevo International Airport (OVB) Spotting Guide

Full Name:
Alexander Pokryshkin Novosibirsk Tolmachevo International Airport
IATA: OVB
ICAO: UNNT

Runways:
07/25 3600 m Asphalt / Concrete
16/34 3600 m Concrete

Statistics (2018)
Passengers: 5.909 mln
Aircraft Operations: 49 118

Hub for
Angara Airlines
Cargolux
Lufthansa Cargo
NordStar
S7 Airlines

Airlines
Aeroflot
Air Astana
Aır Kyrgyzstan
Alrosa
Angara Airlines
Aurora
Avia Traffic Company
Azimuth
Azur Air
Ellinair
I-Fly
IrAero
Krasavia
NordStar
Nordwind Airlines
Pegas Fly
Pobeda
Red Wings Airlines
Rossiya
Royal Flight Airlines
S7 Airlines
Smartavia
Somon Air
Tajik Air
Ural Airlines
Utair
Uzbekistan Airways
Yakutia Airlines
Yamal Airlines

Cargo
Air China Cargo
Aviastar-TU
Cargolux
Cargolux Italia
Emirates SkyCargo
Lufthansa Cargo
Nordic Global Airlines
Russian Post
Sky Gates Airlines
Yangtze River Express

Summary
Novosibirsk Tolmachevo International Airport is 7th busiest airport in Russia and biggest airport in Siberia. It is located in the town of Ob, 16 km west of the center of Novosibirsk. OVB is the major hub for S7 Airlines (ex-Siberia Airlines), second biggest passenger airline in Russia. S7 and its subsidiary Globus Airlines accounts for approximately 50% of passenger traffic in OVB. Tolmachevo also is the busiest regional transit airport in Russia after airports of Moscow aviation hub. International passenger traffic in OVB consisted of many flights to/from Central Asian states, S7 international flights to East and South-East Asia, as well as seasonal international charters. Location of the airport in the middle of Europe – East Asia routes makes OVD an important cargo hub for several international cargo airlines including Cargolux, Air China Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo and others. Tolmachevo also serves as the home to the 337th Independent Helicopter Regiment of the Russian Army Aviation (previously called the 562nd Air Base) flying Mil Mi-24P and Mil Mi-8AMTSh-V helicopters. Fighters Mig-29, Su-27 and Mig-31 of the Russian Air Force, as well as Army transport aviation also occasionally use OVB. Airbase is located in the south-eastern part of the airport. Spotting opportunities in OVB is rather limited with the best spot located far from the terminal.

History
1957: Civil airport opened on the former military airfield. 1963: Passenger terminal constructed. 1997: International terminal opened. 2010: Second runway (16/34) built. 2015: International terminal enlarged and merged with the domestic. 2019: Airport renamed after Soviet World War II military pilot Alexander Pokryshkin.,/p>

Terminals
Tolmachevo has one passenger terminal with two connected sections – Section A for domestic flights and Section B for international flights with the capacity of 3100 passengers per hour. There is also a cargo terminal.

Runway usage
Only runway 07/25 is usually in use. Threshold 25 is preferentially used for landings while 07 for take-offs. Runway 16/34 is rarely used.

Spotting locations

1. Spotters hillock
55.017502, 82.677424 Small hillock in the north-eastern part of the airport’s perimeter provides excellent view on Runway 25. This is the main direction for landings in OVB. All Terminals’ operations can be seen from there too. Helicopters and military jets on airbase parking positions are visible from a distant view. This location is the best spotting position in Tolmachevo, but the access to it is difficult. The only way to get there is by car using dirt roads along the eastern perimeter or paved and unpaved roads from the direction of Marusino village north-east of the airport.

2. Departure gallery of domestic terminal (Section A, airside)
55.009889, 82.667265 Inside the domestic terminal (Section A) there is a departure gallery which provides a restricted view to the apron. The gallery is located in the airside zone of the terminal, so only checked-in passengers have the access.

3. Tu-154, Moszherin Avenue
55.003515, 82.668442 Tu-154 aircraft in an old livery of Siberia Airlines stands on a main driveway to the airport.

4. Il-86
Il-86 in Siberia Airlines livery is another exhibit of Tolmachevo airport’s museum. The aircrafts is standing behind the Sky Hotel building.