Jermuk Airport

The closure was primarily due to a combination of factors: the severe economic downturn following the dissolution of the USSR, which made regional air travel financially unviable; the end of the state-sponsored Soviet tourism model that had sustained the resort town; and the logistical and resource strains of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The airport is currently abandoned and non-operational. The single asphalt runway is still visible on satellite imagery but is in a state of severe disrepair and is unusable for aircraft. There is no active aviation infrastructure on site, and the former terminal building is derelict. The area is largely unused, with the former runway sometimes used by locals for driving or other informal activities.

Built during the Soviet era, Jermuk Airport was a crucial piece of infrastructure for Armenia's tourism industry. Its primary function was to connect the popular Jermuk health resort and spa town with Yerevan (primarily Erebuni Airport). It handled regular domestic flights, typically operated by small, short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) aircraft like the Yakovlev Yak-40. The airport made the remote mountainous resort easily accessible to tourists and citizens from across the Soviet Union, significantly contributing to Jermuk's status as a premier health destination.

The reopening of Jermuk Airport has been a recurring topic of discussion for the Armenian government for over a decade, aimed at boosting tourism to the region. A plan was first approved in 2007 but stalled. Interest was renewed in the late 2010s and early 2020s, with the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia including Jermuk in its strategy for reviving small aviation. However, significant investment is required to reconstruct the runway, terminal, and navigation systems. While no concrete timeline or funding has been finalized, the successful reopening of Syunik Airport in Kapan has provided a positive precedent, and Jermuk remains a candidate for future development, pending investment and a viable economic model.