The history of formation and development “air gate” of the Northern capital resonates with the history of aviation in Leningrad, including during the great Patriotic war and, of course, connected with the history of Pulkovo customs.
In April 1930, was already considered the prospects for the creation in Leningrad for an airfield. Of civil aviation of the city on the Neva river in the future was given a huge role as a means of communication, Express cargo, mail and passenger traffic.
In statistical and economic reference book “Civil air fleet of the USSR”, published in 1936, says: “Regularly worked airline Leningrad – Moscow in the summer navigation. For five months of 1935 was committed and 114 flight carried 123 passengers, 1228 pounds of mail and 225 kilograms of cargo. For six months the airline Leningrad – Kenigsberg was transported 1055 passengers.”
Will be 84 years old and Pulkovo customs will be able to state that in 2019 through the air border of Russia proceeded 7 million individuals.
But officials of the Postal customs office was committed customs operations in relation to 6 million 776 thousand 407 international mail.
In 1941, in the January issue of the magazine “Civil aviation” it was noted that the coming year “should be a year of new growth of civil aviation.” Early in the morning 22 June from Moscow to Leningrad there has arrived the plane with matrices Central
Newspapers, which still had no line on the beginning of the great Patriotic war.
From 1941 to 1945 the Leningrad pilots made more than 30 thousand sorties. During the siege the airport staff took and served about 10 thousand transport aircraft. It was made in the besieged city under constant shelling and attacks by enemy aircraft.
In may 1945, resumed flights. The aircraft took the airport “Smolny”. Customs clearance was made a duty of the customs inspector. In 1948 restored the airport “Shosseynaya”, which increased the number of flights. Customs post “Airport”, acting on the territory of airport “Shosseynaya” at that time was part of the Leningrad customs. In the early 60’s worked here for 33 of the customs officer.
In the spring of 1964 began regular air flights to Helsinki, Berlin, Warsaw, Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest. Later, in Stockholm, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London.
In February 1973, the new terminal “Pulkovo-1” has accepted the first passengers. Throughput of the airport amounted to three thousand people per hour. And on 25 November 1974 customs post “the Airport” Leningrad customs was reorganized at the Pulkovo customs. Its functions included the design of aircraft, air crew, cargo, passengers, baggage, international and diplomatic mail carried on international flights.
A young customs was headed by Georgii Pavlovich Orgain – soldier, whose fighting path was also inextricably linked with the city on the Neva. Quite a young man he went to the Leningrad front. Along with his fellow soldiers fought to the death at the walls of Leningrad.
Last year marked 45 years since the founding of Pulkovo customs. The war years from that date separate decades, but the Great Patriotic war, the red thread runs through the entire history of Russia. Echoes of war will be remembered in the modern history of Pulkovo customs, through the veterans who in time of peace continued to do her service for the good of the Fatherland.
Photos to material provided by the United funds of the civil aviation Museum in Saint-Petersburg
Olga Dyatko,
the press-Secretary of Pulkovo customs