Kurchatov Chelyabinsk International Airport

Chelyabinsk Balandino Airport, officially named Kurchatov Chelyabinsk International Airport and carrying the IATA code CEK, is the primary commercial airport serving Chelyabinsk, a major industrial city in Russia's southern Ural Mountains. It handles domestic and limited international flights, connecting the region to Moscow and other key Russian cities. The airport was named in honor of Igor Kurchatov, the Soviet physicist who led the development of the USSR's nuclear weapons program and had ties to the Chelyabinsk region. The facility has undergone modernization efforts in recent years to improve passenger capacity and infrastructure. Chelyabinsk is Russia's seventh-largest city, and the airport plays a significant role in its connectivity. The airport primarily serves domestic routes, with Aeroflot and Ural Airlines among the key carriers operating there.