# Aktau International Airport

Aktau International Airport (IATA: SCO, ICAO: UATE) (Kazakh: Halyqaralyq Aqtau Äuejaiy), formerly Shevchenko-Central, is an international airport in Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan. It is the primary international airport serving the city of Aktau on the Caspian Sea. The airport is the eighth-busiest international air passenger gateway into Central Asia, the 50th-busiest airport in the post-Soviet states, and the fourth-busiest airport in Kazakhstan.
Aktau International Airport is located 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Aktau. The airport features one passenger terminal and one runway. It serves as a focus city for SCAT Airlines. The airport is served year-round by Aeroflot, Air Astana, SCAT Airlines, Qazaq Air and on a seasonal basis by Belavia and Sunday Airlines.
The airport opened in 1983 as Shevchenko-Central and was commonly known as Shevchenko Airport (the airport's current IATA code, SCO, is derived from the city's previous name, Shevchenko).

## Overview

In November 1996 the joint stock company Aqtau International Airport was established. The development of the oil industry in the Caspian region required an increase in freight volumes and a rapid delivery of necessary equipment for the oil industry. This, in turn, led to the need for reconstruction of the airfield and an increase in passenger capacity at the terminal. With 1 million passengers passing through in 2018, the airport was the third busiest in Kazakhstan, after Almaty Airport and Astana Airport, and was the 50th-busiest airport in the Post-Soviet states.

## Operations

Aktau International Airport is used by 6 airlines flying to 14 destinations in 4 countries. The airport is the primary hub of SCAT Airlines. It has one passenger terminal. In 2018, it served 1 023 900 passengers, making it the third-busiest airport in Kazakhstan. The busiest single destination in passenger numbers is Atyrau. It has one runway designated 11/29 with an asphalt/concrete surface measuring 3,050 m × 60 m (10,007 ft × 197 ft). The airport is able to accommodate jets the size of the AN-124, Boeing 747, Il-76 and lighter, as well as helicopters of all types. However, smaller jets like the Airbus A319, Boeing 737 and CRJ-200 are more commonly seen there.
In 2007, the airport was given a concession period of 30 years to the ATM Group. The contract includes construction of a new passenger terminal. The new terminal was completed in 2009. The capacity was 450 passengers per hour and the total area of 13,400 m$^2$ (144,000 sq ft), including the area occupied by the VIP and CIP halls.
The terminal is equipped with electronic and electromechanical systems. These include passenger telescopic ladders, racks of electronic registration, HVAC (heating and cooling system), FIDS (Alert System departures on the electronic scoreboard), X-ray scanners, CCTV, lifts and escalators.
SCAT Airlines is based in Aqtau and operates flights to Baku, Tbilisi, Moscow and various other Russian cities. Air Astana operates daily flights to Atyrau, Almaty and Astana. There are also flights operated by Aeroflot to Moscow.

## Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter services to and from Aqtau:
| Airlines | Destinations |
| Aeroflot | Moscow–Sheremetyevo |
| Air Astana | Almaty, Astana |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | Baku |
| FlyArystan | Aktobe, Almaty, Astana, Atyrau, Baku, Doha, Istanbul, Kutaisi, Oral, Shymkent Seasonal: Antalya, Sharm El Sheikh |
| Pars Air | Gorgan |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen |
| Qeshm Air | Gorgan |
| SCAT Airlines | Aktobe, Almaty, Astana, Astrakhan, Atyrau, Kokshetau, Makhachkala, Shymkent, Tbilisi, Türkıstan, Yerevan Seasonal: Batumi, Sochi |
| Sunday Airlines | Seasonal charter: Antalya, Sharm El Sheikh |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul |

## Statistics
### Passenger figures

| Year | Passengers | Change on previous year |
| 2008 | 474,000 | 024.9 % |
| 2009 | 450,000 | 0 5,1 % |
| 2010 | 585,000 | 0 30% |
| 2011 | 623,000 | 0 6,5 % |
| 2012 | 708,143 | 0 13,7 % |
| 2013 | 776,431 | 0 9,6 % |
| 2014 | 813,746 | 0 4,8 % |
| 2015 | 845,710 | 0 3,9 % |
| 2016 | 865,774 | 0 2,4 % |
| 2017 | 1,072,400 | 0 23,9 % |
| 2018 | 1,023,900 | 0 4,5 % |
| 2019 | 996,291 | 0 2,7 % |
| 2020 | 688,002 | 0 30,9 % |
| 2021 | 1,303,560 | 0 89,5 % |

## Accidents and incidents

* On December 25, 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190 jet, crashed near the airport as it attempted an emergency landing, saving 29 out of the 67 occupants onboard. The plane, en route from Baku in Azerbaijan to Grozny in Russia, had been rerouted due to fog.