Minsk National Airport


Minsk National Airport is the main international airport in Belarus, located 42 km to the east of the capital Minsk, geographically lying in the territory of Smalyavichy Raion but administratively being subordinated to Kastrychnitski District of Minsk. The airport serves as hub of the Belarusian flag carrier Belavia and the cargo carriers TransAVIAexport Airlines, Genex and Rubystar Airways.

History

Early years

Construction of Minsk-2 airport began in 1977. In 1979, a new runway 3,640-m-long and 60-m-wide became operational. By 1981 the aerodrome «Minsk-2» was able to handle aircraft and the airport opened in 1982. The first passenger flight was operated with a Tupolev Tu-134.
On 1 July 1983, «The Second Joint Aviation Division of Minsk» was established in accordance with the decision of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of USSR. This date is considered as the airport foundation day.

Development since the 1990s

Regular flights began in 1983; by 1990 passenger traffic reached 2.2 million passengers. From 1991, the number of flights began to decline due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and other consequent changes. By 1997, the number of the passengers was 516,000, in 1998 – 480,000, in 2000 – only 400,000 passengers.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the first million passengers was handled by Minsk National Airport in 2008. Due to the substantial growth in passenger traffic, 2008 became a significant mark for the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Minsk:

Cargo

Statistics

Ground transportation

The airport is located 42 km east of Minsk, and is linked with the city with a toll-free highway. Free short term parking is available in front of the terminal. Minsk National Airport is linked to the capital by the M2 motorway. Bus, train, taxi and parking services are provided. The airport is served by buses 300Э and 173Э departing from Centralny bus station.

Incidents and accidents