Minsk National Airport Airport History In

Minsk National Airport {

Airport History In 1977 in the environs of the Belarusian capital the building of the new airport "Minsk-2" was begun. In 1979 the new runway 3640 m long and 60 m wide was put into operation. In 1981 the airdrome "Minsk-2" was already able to handle aircraft. In 1982 the airport was opened. The first passenger flight was operated on the plane TU-134 under the direction of the crew commander Vasiliy A. Tolstik. The first buildings of the airport The building of the air terminal

In 2000 RUE "Minsk National Airport" became a legal successor of the independent enterprise "Airport Minsk-2". At the same time the up-to-date "Siemens" lamp signaling equipment for the take-off and landing strip was put into commission. The equipment made it possible to make landing of the aircraft according to the 2 nd ICAO category.

General Information Minsk National Airport is the main air gateway to the Republic of Belarus and occupies an advantageous geographical location as it is situated at the intersection of the biggest main lines connecting the Western Europe with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The airport is a member of Airports Council International and the Airport Association of CIS Civil Aviation.

In 2010 the airport served 1 285 423 passengers and handled 11 020 flights with 114 different aircraft types. In comparison with 2009 the growth made up 24. 9 % and 18. 0 % respectively.

There is 1 operative runway, the length is 3641 m (CAT II) that allows accepting all types of aircrafts for 24 hours and one Terminal with a capacity of 3, 6 million passengers per year in the Airport.

The flights are controlled by highly qualified air traffic control officers with the help of the automatic system of the air traffic management "Sintez. АР 2" with the highest level of automation.

Flights are carried out at more than 37 international destinations to the Western Europe, the Near East and other regions. Airlines

Airport Services Minsk National Airport gives passengers all kinds of services specified in the requirements of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) such as: Ø Consular Office of the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, where foreign passengers can get the permission for temporary stay in Belarus; Ø system of the customs control based on the principle of "green" and "red" channels; Ø the insurance companies realizing the insurance of the foreign citizens; Ø baggage handling group; Ø a hall for business class passengers service;

Ø the government sector, a hall for VIP-passengers and delegations service; Ø the representatives of the Belarusian and foreign airlines; Ø a restaurant, cafes, bars, shops and other trade outlets;

Ø a complex information system for Ø a room for passengers; passengers travelling with children and a special procedure of service for physically challenged passengers; Ø two branch offices of banks (BPS-Bank, Belarusbank), cash machines;

Ø a hairdressing salon, a manicure cabinet, footwear and clothes repair shops; Ø a hotel; Ø systems of telephone and fax communication;

Øtransport services such as buses, minibuses, car renting, taxi, parking.

Strategy and Prospects In the near term it is planned to relocate Minsk Aircraft Repair Plant to the territory of Minsk National Airport and to build International Logistic Center. In this connection the efforts to attract credit sources from the People’s Republic of China for the construction of the second artificial runway, the reconstruction of the existing airport terminal and the construction of a new one are being held.

It is also planned to: ü continue the special techniques and technological equipment renewal for aircraft and passengers handling (it's planned to attract investment to the basic capital in the amount of USD 2. 6 mln. ); ü replace passenger escalators, install lifts for physically weak persons in the airport terminal.

Svetlana Evtuh group U 110