Six kilometers from the city, where the golden domes of churches are reflected in the Volga, lies Sokerino Airport – the domain of Kostroma Aviation Enterprise. This is one of those regional airlines that preserve the special atmosphere of provincial aviation: here everyone knows each other, passengers are greeted almost like family, and the roar of An-26 turbines is as much a part of the local landscape as the ringing of bells.
The enterprise was founded in 1944, when the country was still at war and aviation was both a luxury and a necessity. Eight decades is a respectable age even for a person, let alone an airline. During this time, Kostroma Aviation Enterprise has been through it all: the golden era of Soviet regional aviation, when An-2s flew to every village with an airfield, the arrival of turboprop LET L-410 in the 1970s that expanded the geography of flights, then the difficult 1990s with reduced routes and an uncertain future.
But the enterprise survived. The 2000s brought recovery, fleet renewal, and a return to stable operations. Today it is a state-owned airline belonging to the Kostroma Region – a fact that explains both its resilience and its commitment to the principle of public importance over commercial efficiency.
Fleet and Flight Routes
The core of the fleet consists of the legendary An-26 – turboprop workhorses that aren't afraid of harsh conditions. These aircraft are living history of Soviet aviation, reliable, unpretentious, with the characteristic roar of AI-24 engines. I absolutely love that sound! Yes, these aren't the latest aircraft with business class, entertainment systems, and noise cancellation. But the flight and engineering crews are highly qualified professionals who know their machines down to the last bolt. And for many passengers, flying on such an aircraft is an immersion into the atmosphere of real aviation, where you feel every gust of wind and hear the engines working.
Regular passenger flights on the Kostroma–Saint Petersburg route have been operating 3 times a week since 2024. This is the company's main artery – connecting the ancient Kostroma region with the northern capital. An hour and a half over forests and lakes, and you're at Pulkovo. During the summer season, flights to Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan are operated, connecting the Volga cities – a popular destination for tourists and business trips.
But the work isn't limited to scheduled flights. The company performs the full spectrum of tasks, from VIP transportation to search and rescue operations. Charters for corporate clients, cargo transportation, medical aviation, power line inspections, aerial photography – everything that regional aviation exists for. For these tasks, the fleet includes helicopters. The Ansat is a modern Russian machine equipped with a medical module for transporting patients and accompanying medical staff. These helicopters have replaced the old Mi-2s.
Kostroma Aviation Enterprise is not a low-cost carrier with online check-in and strict rules. The atmosphere here is more humane and flexible. Check-in takes place in a small terminal, staff often know regular passengers by sight, and simple refreshments are offered on board – a sandwich, a drink, sometimes Kostroma cheese as a symbol of the region.
Each passenger can carry one piece of baggage weighing up to 10 kilograms, with dimensions limited to a combined total of 203 centimeters. Modest by modern standards, but quite reasonable for a regional carrier.
The airline participates in the state subsidy program and offers benefits for children, pensioners, veterans, and siege survivors – an important social function for a region where residents' incomes don't always allow for regular air travel.
Sokerino Airport
The aviation enterprise owns its own Sokerino Airport, giving it full control over service quality. This is a small provincial airport with a single runway and a terminal that's no longer new. In winter it can get really cold here, in summer the waiting area gets stuffy, but there's a certain honesty and simplicity to it – no one pretends to be an international hub.
From here, from the Kostroma land, aircraft take off into the sky over ancient monasteries and forests, over the Volga and the endless expanses of the Russian plain.
Modernity and Realities
Kostroma Aviation Enterprise operates under difficult conditions. Regional aviation in Russia is going through tough times: high costs, low flight loads, competition from buses and trains, aging fleet. The An-26s, reliable as they are, still need replacement – they're noisy and not very fuel-efficient.
But the company holds on. State support, subsidy programs, loyalty of the local population – all this helps maintain air connections where it would be unprofitable for a commercial carrier to operate.
The Soul of Provincial Aviation
Kostroma Aviation Enterprise is not just a carrier. It's part of the regional landscape, part of the Kostroma Region's identity. It's an opportunity for residents of remote areas to quickly reach big cities, it's a connection to the world, it's pride that the region has its own aviation.
Flying on an An-26 from Sokerino means feeling what aviation used to be like: without glamour, but with soul, without business class comfort, but with respect for the passenger. There are no crowds and chaos here, but it happens that the pilot will come out to chat with passengers after landing, or a mechanic will explain why the departure was delayed.
Kostroma Aviation Enterprise is a small airline with a big history, surviving not thanks to but in spite of all economic laws, simply because someone has to connect the provinces with the rest of the world. And as long as the An-26 turbines roar over the Volga, this connection will not be broken.