The idea of a new transport airport in the Lviv region is gradually moving from general discussion toward more specific territorial planning. One of the locations currently being considered is the area near Radekhiv, between Vuzlove and the city, along the Lviv–Lutsk highway.
The issue was discussed on September 22, 2026, during a meeting of the Lviv Regional Council’s standing commission on local government development.
The proposed area includes land where an agricultural airfield once operated. Its key feature is that road and railway infrastructure already exists nearby, while the surrounding area is less densely developed than the outskirts of Lviv.
Why attention has shifted toward Radekhiv
Viktor Vashchuk, Deputy Director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Development of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, identified the area between the road to Lutsk and the sugar factory in Radekhiv as a promising location.
The concept goes beyond the construction of an airfield alone. The area is being considered as a potential transport and logistics hub where aviation could be connected with road and rail transport.
A railway line already exists in the area, although it requires reconstruction.
According to Vashchuk, this part of the region is currently not among the most dynamically developing areas. At the same time, transport aviation and related logistics activities could give the territory a new functional role.
This is the broader logic behind the project: the airport is being considered as part of a larger transport corridor rather than as an isolated facility.
Lviv has increasingly limited room for airport expansion
The search for an alternative location is also linked to the constraints surrounding Lviv International Airport.
Dense residential development around the city significantly limits the airport’s expansion opportunities. Another issue is the continuing land dispute between Lviv and the Sokilnyky community.
Viktor Vashchuk said some of the current disagreements stem from planning decisions made by the UkrAeroproekt institute in 2005.
The airport development master plan prepared ahead of Euro 2012 allowed for expansion, but stipulated that such development should not increase aircraft noise zones or create additional restrictions for neighboring territories.
Today, any expansion of those zones would directly affect residents of Lviv, Sokilnyky, and Zymna Voda.
For this reason, new transport and aviation infrastructure is being considered in less densely populated areas with fewer land-use restrictions.
The Stryi option also has limitations
Another possible location could have been the Lviv-2 airfield in Stryi.
However, according to Vashchuk, the facility does not meet modern safety requirements in its current condition.
The main constraints are:
- insufficient runway length;
- dense development on the Stryi side;
- limited room for further expansion of the airfield.
These factors significantly reduce the possibility of developing a full-scale modern transport airport at the site.
A new transport corridor could emerge between Vuzlove and Radekhiv
At the same time, the Lviv region is working on amendments to its regional territorial planning scheme.
This is an important stage because such documentation determines where major infrastructure facilities may be located in the future and which land plots need to be reserved for them.
The updated scheme is expected to provide the basis for comprehensive spatial plans for local communities and to reserve land for facilities of national importance.
The issues currently under consideration include:
- the future of Lviv International Airport and the Lviv-2 airfield;
- the possibility of creating a transport corridor between Vuzlove and Radekhiv;
- the development of industrial parks while taking sanitary protection zones into account;
- wind and hydropower development, as well as small underground nuclear reactors;
- the interaction between transport infrastructure and protected natural areas.
Particular attention is being given to the area between Vuzlove and Radekhiv, where road infrastructure and railway connections already exist.
A significant share of this land is currently used for agriculture. At the same time, a new transport corridor is being considered as a possible factor for attracting investment to the area.
Sanitary protection zones also affect territorial development
The planning of industrial parks faces another restriction — sanitary protection zones around agricultural enterprises.
For poultry farms, such zones may range from 1,000 to 10,000 meters.
From a spatial planning perspective, this is a significant factor because such restrictions may cover large areas and influence the choice of land for industrial or transport facilities.
The dispute over development near Lviv Airport continues
The situation in Sokilnyky remains another important part of the broader discussion.
At the end of 2024, the Sokilnyky Village Council included land near the runway of Lviv International Airport in its new master plan for residential development.
Lviv city authorities opposed the decision, arguing that residential construction could fall within the airport’s sanitary protection and noise zones and restrict its future development.
Alternative plots outside the airport’s area of influence were proposed for housing development.
Lviv later presented another concept for the disputed land. Instead of residential construction, the city proposed a cargo terminal and logistics centers.
In April 2024, the Lviv Regional Military Administration joined efforts to resolve the issue. On April 24, the parties signed a cooperation memorandum intended to regulate development near the airport while taking the interests of Sokilnyky residents into account.
Radekhiv is being considered as part of a broader transport model
The issue of a new transport airport in the Lviv region is therefore being considered in a much broader context than the construction of a runway alone.
In the case of the area near Radekhiv, the concept involves combining several forms of infrastructure — road, rail, and aviation.
This is why the territory between Vuzlove and Radekhiv has been included among the areas to be considered as part of the updated spatial development scheme for the Lviv region.