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 Coat of arms of Armenia | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 13, 2003 |
| Jurisdiction | Armenia |
| Agency executive |
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| Website | Official website |
General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia (GDCA) is a government agency of Armenia. Its head office is on the property of Zvartnots International Airport in Zvartnots, near Yerevan. [1] [2]
Although the Department of Civil Aviation was commissioned in 2003, Armenia's aviation history dates back to 1933 when Armenian independent air detachment under Soviet Union, started regular flights to Tbilisi from Southern Airfield (former name of Erebuni Airport).
During Soviet Union Times, all flights were operated by the state owned company called Aeroflot. Aeroflot connected all major cities of the nation to one another. Armenia had many direct flights to other republics of the USSR. However, international flights out of USSR were flown only through Moscow Sheremetyevo airport.
During the times of Soviet Union Armenia saw the creation and the expansion of its aviation. Armenian SSR built all in all 7 airports and many other functioning airstrips.
Currently there are five official operational airports in Armenia. Two of the five (Shirak Airport and Zvartnots Airport) service international flights while the rest serve as regional airports. Erebuni Airport and Arzni Airport are mostly designated as a military airport stationing Armenian Air Force.
This article considers transport in Armenia. For Soviet transportation, see Transport in the Soviet Union.
PJSC Aeroflot – Russian Airlines, commonly known as Aeroflot, is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation. The air carrier is an open joint stock company that operates both domestic and international passenger and services, mainly from its airline hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport.
The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a small, three-engined jet airliner, the world's first commuter trijet. The maiden flight was made in 1966, and it was in production from 1967 to 1981. Introduced in September 1968, the Yak-40 has been exported since 1970.
Kavminvodyavia was an airline based in Mineralnye Vody in the Caucasus, Russia. It operated scheduled services to over 20 destinations in the northern Caucasus region and abroad, as well as charter services. Its main base was Mineralnye Vody Airport, which was also operated by the company.
Zvartnots International Airport (Armenian: Զվարթնոց միջազգային օդանավակայան, is located near Zvartnots, 15 km west of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. It acts as the main international airport of Armenia and is Yerevan's main international transport hub. It is the busiest airport in the country.
Armenian Airlines was the state-owned flag carrier of Armenia.
Zvartnots is a town located in the Armenian province of Armavir, about 10 km west from Yerevan, approximately half way to Ejmiatsin.
JSC "Donavia", later Aeroflot-Don, was an Aeroflot subsidiary airline based in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Its main bases were Rostov-on-Don Airport and Mineralnye Vody Airport after the Kavminvodyavia bankruptcy. In the spring of 2016, its operations were merged into sister company Rossiya.
Armavia was an airline that existed between 1996 and 2013. It was Armenia's flag carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Zvartnots International Airport in Zvartnots, Armenia, near Yerevan. It operated international passenger services from Yerevan to destinations in Europe and Asia. Its main base was Zvartnots International Airport.
Air Armenia CJSC was a passenger and cargo airline with its head office in Yerevan, Armenia. Its base is Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan.
JSC "Domodedovo Airlines" was an airline with its head office on the grounds of Domodedovo International Airport in Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia. It operated scheduled flights within Russia and the CIS, with a focus on flights to the Russian Far East. The airline also operated scheduled and ad hoc charter flights to P. R. China, Europe, Thailand, Maldives, Malaysia and Singapore.
Shirak Airport (Armenian: Շիրակ միջազգային օդանավակայան, is an international airport serving Gyumri and the province of Shirak, Armenia. It is located about 5 km from the center of Gyumri. The airport was inaugurated in 1961, and is the second largest airport in the country, after Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport.
The Armenian Air Force is the air arm of the Armed Forces of Armenia formed by independent Armenia in 1992 in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It is organized and equipped principally to provide Armenian ground forces with tactical air support in the form of ground attack and airlift in mountainous terrain. It provided effective support during the battles with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region from 1992–1994. It currently lacks air superiority fighters, but air defense is provided by MiG-29s of the Russian Air Force under a military cooperation treaty. Since 2003, the Armenian government has been funding a modernization and enlargement of the air fleet. The Armenian Air Force sports two military academies: the Marshal Baghramyan Aviation Academy and the Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University.
Erebuni Airport is a military airport serving Yerevan and the country of Armenia. It is located 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) south of the center of Yerevan. At present, the airport is mostly operated by the military and is home to the Russian 3624th Air Base and hosts a squadron of MiG-29s and Mi-24 attack helicopters. Private firms do on occasion operate chartered helicopter flights inside the country and to the CIS. The airport is also home to a single Diamond DA40 aircraft used by the local flying school.
Belavia Flight 1834 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Yerevan, Armenia, to Minsk, Belarus, operated by Belavia. On the morning of February 14, 2008, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet carrying 18 passengers and three crew crashed and burst into flames shortly after take off from Zvartnots International Airport near Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
Tourism in Armenia has been a key sector to the Armenian economy since the 1990s when tourist numbers exceeded half a million people visiting the country every year. The Armenian Ministry of Economy reports that most international tourists come from Russia, EU states, the United States and Iran. Though relatively small in size, Armenia has four UNESCO world heritage sites.
Transport in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was an important part of the nation's economy. The economic centralisation of the late 1920s and 1930s led to the development of infrastructure at a massive scale and rapid pace. Before the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, there were a wide variety of modes of transport by land, water and air. However, because of government policies before, during and after the Era of Stagnation, investments in transport were low. By the late 1970s and early 1980s Soviet economists were calling for the construction of more roads to alleviate some of the strain from the railways and to improve the state budget. The Civil aviation industry, represented by Aeroflot, was the largest in the world, but inefficiencies plagued it until the USSR's collapse. The road network remained underdeveloped, and dirt roads were common outside major cities. At the same time, the attendance of the few roads they had were ill-equipped to handle this growing problem. By the late-1980s, after the death of Leonid Brezhnev, his successors tried, without success, to solve these problems. At the same time, the automobile industry was growing at a faster rate than the construction of new roads. By the mid-1970s, only 0.8 percent of the Soviet population owned a car.
Veteran Avia was a cargo airline based in Sharjah, U.A.E.. The airline was established in 2009 and started operations on 16 June 2009. It operated freight services to destinations in the CIS and Europe. Its Main base was Zvartnots International Airport, Yerevan.
Armenia Airways is an Armenian carrier based at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia.
