Vaiņode Airfield

Vaiņodes pagasts, Dienvidkurzemes novads

The site is privately owned.

Once a major Soviet Air Force base, Vaiņode Airfield was one of the largest military airfields in the Baltic States. During Latvia’s interwar period, it was considered one of the cradles of Latvian aviation, as it was here, in 1916, that two hangars, “Valter” and “Valhalla,” were constructed. These hangars served as the base for the massive airships that flew across Latvia. At the time, Vaiņode became one of the largest airship bases in Europe.

After Latvia’s War of Independence, the airship hangars were demolished in 1924, and their structures were used for the construction of the pavilions at Rīga Central Market.

Vaiņode Airfield was also the launch site for some of Latvia's first gliders, including “Dūja,” “Zelta Vārpa,” and “Pārsla.”

Following 1940, the airfield became one of the Soviet Union’s largest military airfields in the Baltic, featuring two 2.5 km-long runways. It housed the most advanced Soviet military aircraft. The last Soviet plane left the airfield in 1992, and since then, its active operations ceased.

Today, the airfield still has 16 hangars and 1,800 meters of the former 2,500-meter runway.