Longest runway in the world - Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport (ULY)

Longest runway in the world - Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport (ULY) (Google Maps)
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16,404 feet long.

This airport has the longest runway in the world yet it only has one gate and handles fewer passengers in a year than most international airports handle in a day (or a few hours for that matter).

While the airport doesn't look particularly militarized, it looks like there is a huge ammo dump and base further to the west.

The other long runways in the world are:

Vostochny (Russia) 16404 ft
Gavia (Bravil) 16295 ft
Upington (South Africa) 16076 ft
Harare (Zimbabwae) 15502 ft
Kinshasha Ndjili (Congo) 15420 ft
Mafikeng (South Africa) 15158 ft
Hawange National Park (Zimbabwe) 15091 ft
Edwards AFB (USA) 15013 ft

1/24/2013: NOTE: The title was true when the map was posted originally. Wikipedia now says " This runway is the third longest public use runway in the world with a length of 5 km (16,405 ft). It is also the widest, with a total width of about 105 m (344 ft)."
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darkhorse219 picture
@ 2005-10-07 22:06:25
How does the runway at Area 51 measure up to this one, or the others mentioned above?
santo picture
@ 2005-10-08 13:29:02
I was under the impression that Area 51 *was* the longest runway in the world. In fact, comparing the satellite views side by side, Area 51 still looks longer. It could just be that the one at Area 51 isn't "official" and has its length listed anywhere. Just my two cents.
kjfitz picture
@ 2005-10-08 16:53:52
Here's what Wikipedia says:

"Area 51 has two operating runways, the main is 14L/32R, a concrete runway constructed in the 1990s, measuring 11,980 x 200 ft (3651 x 61 m) with a 1000 x 100 ft (304 x 30 m) overrun at each end and the secondary, shorter runway is 12/30 which also doubles as a taxiway, measuring 5,420ft x 150ft (1,652m x 45m). The much more enigmatic older runway is exactly 6 miles (9656 m) long. It is composed of 12,500 ft of concrete, 11,080 ft of asphalt, and 5560 ft and 2540 ft of now dismantled asphalt on the north and south ends, respectively. At least three sets of old runway markings are found, suggesting that the full 6-mile length was probably never used in its entirety. Currently only a 6,600 ft (2011 m) stretch of the concrete section is marked for use, forming runway 14R/32L. The dirt lakebed runways, comprising two twin airstrips, measure up to 11,270 ft (3435 m) in length and 100 to 170 ft (30 to 52 m) in width."
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2005-10-13 04:55:42
doesn't qatar have a very long runway?
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2005-11-07 23:53:48
One thing about this runway vs Area 51, this one has manmade surface complete. Area 51 is part lake bed, not all man made.
kjfitz picture
@ 2005-11-07 23:59:07
According to this:
http://www.aircraft-charter-world.com/airports/middleeast/qatar.htm

Qatar's is 15,000 feet long.
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2006-01-24 07:35:37
What is the point of building the longest run way in the world.........
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2006-02-02 15:42:35
The whole point of having a runway that was 6 miles, 31,680 ft long was during the era where they have experimental testing done by the military. Area 51 was infamous grounds in where the SR-71, U-2, and im willing to bet F-117 n B-2 were tested. They prolly also did runway fly by's n etc etc, whatever they wanted to do for testing. i know that boeing has used Edward AFB's 15,000 ft runway to conduct different tests for their jets like the 777-300 ER etc. I know russia also used to build them for this purpose too. hell if i was coming in with a prob. on some aircraft, i really wouldnt mind the extra space of 6 miles, take it nice n easy.
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2006-10-04 01:16:06
Namao Armed Forces Canada (Edmonton , Canada) has a decommissioned 15,000 ft runway
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2006-12-22 03:36:36
Qamdo Bamda Airport (昌都邦達機場), Tibet, China (30°33′N 97°06′E) - 18,045 ft (5500 m) concrete, of which 13,779 ft (4200 m) currently meets 4D standard. Bamda's runway is also the highest in world, with altitude at 14,219 ft (4334 m).
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2007-07-10 22:55:08
grams79
Correction....
The longest runway in the world is located at Groom Lake (Area 51).
This runway is 27000+ feet.
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2007-09-09 08:10:52
Yes, there are runways on the lake bed at area51 which are not man made surfaces as such. However, the long one which we are intereasted in, when it goes over the lake bed, it is still tarmac. If you measure the length of the maked section of the runway on Google Earth, with the ruler tool, it showes up as 4.5 miles. I still think that that is the longest in the world, and the full tarmac length is 6 miles.
Gosell picture
@ 2008-02-01 21:10:09
The Zhukovski Russian air base SE of Moscow seems to have a 17,600 ft runway, as measured by Google earth.

55.55718500~38.12449000
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2008-12-09 00:38:02
I heard doha runway is the alternate runway for the space shuttles?
Is it true?
Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2013-01-24 20:17:52
this isnt even close to the longest... in the US:
at Edwards AFB ... 34° 54′ 20″ N, 117° 53′ 1″ W
shuttle landing strip 18/36 is 23,086 ft × 900 ft
17/35 is 39,907 ft × 900 ft
05L/23R is 22,175 ft × 300 ft
07/25 is 23,100 ft × 300 ft
15/33 is 29,487 ft × 300 ft

Anonymous picture
Anonymous
@ 2013-12-03 20:25:03
White Sands in New Mexico has a 35,000 foot long run way. Area 51 supposedly has one too but I believe the lake bed in California at Edwards is over 7.5 miles long. The longest paved at Edwards is 15,000 feet. At Namao by Edmonton around 14,000 ft (now decommissioned). Those were both space shuttle alternative landing locations