Minsk 1 Airport

The primary reason for closure was urban development. The airport was located on 300 hectares of prime real estate very close to the Minsk city center. The Belarusian government decided to repurpose the valuable land for a large-scale residential and commercial real estate project. All remaining air traffic was consolidated at the larger and more modern Minsk National Airport (UMMS), located further outside the city, rendering Minsk-1 redundant.

The airport site has been completely redeveloped into a massive mixed-use complex called 'Minsk-World' (Минск-Мир). The runways, taxiways, and most auxiliary buildings have been demolished. In their place, a new district with high-rise apartment buildings, offices, a large shopping mall, schools, and parks has been constructed and is still undergoing development. The historic 1957 terminal building was preserved as an architectural monument and has been integrated into the new development, with plans for it to be used as a public or commercial space.

Minsk-1 Airport was the first civil airport in Belarus, opening on November 7, 1933. For decades, it served as the main airport for Minsk, handling both domestic flights within the Soviet Union and later Belarus, as well as short-haul international flights to cities like Moscow, Kyiv, and Warsaw. Its original ICAO code was UMMM and its IATA code was MHP. The iconic terminal building, built in 1957 and expanded in 1976, is a notable example of Stalinist neoclassical architecture and was a landmark of the city. The airport was also the base for the Minsk Aircraft Repair Plant (No. 407), which serviced aircraft like the Tu-134, Tu-154, and Yak-40/42.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airport. The aviation infrastructure, including the runways and navigation systems, has been completely and permanently dismantled. The land has been irrevocably repurposed for the 'Minsk-World' urban development project, making any future aviation use impossible.