Balykchy Airport

The closure was due to economic reasons. After the collapse of the USSR, the centralized funding and subsidized flight network managed by Aeroflot disappeared. The newly independent Kyrgyzstan faced a severe economic downturn, which led to a drastic reduction in domestic air travel demand. Maintaining and operating small regional airports like Balykchy became financially unsustainable without state subsidies.

The airport is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows a distinct but derelict asphalt runway, approximately 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) in length. The runway surface is cracked, weathered, and partially overgrown with vegetation. There are no signs of active use for aviation or any other purpose. The site is unused and in a state of decay.

During the Soviet era, Balykchy (then known as Rybachye) was a significant industrial and transport hub on the western tip of Lake Issyk-Kul. The airport played a crucial role in connecting the popular Issyk-Kul resort area with Frunze (now Bishkek) and other regional centers within the Kirghiz SSR. It primarily handled domestic passenger flights for tourists and local officials, as well as light cargo. The airfield was designed for small, rugged Soviet aircraft capable of operating from short runways, such as the Antonov An-2, and likely the Yakovlev Yak-40 and Antonov An-24. It was an integral part of a local network of airfields around the lake that facilitated access to the region before the road network was significantly improved.

There are no known official plans or realistic prospects for reopening Balykchy Airport. The Kyrgyz government's strategy for developing air access to the Issyk-Kul region is focused on the Issyk-Kul International Airport (ICAO: UCFL, IATA: IKU) located in Tamchy, approximately 45 km to the east. The Tamchy airport has been significantly modernized and expanded to accommodate larger jet aircraft like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, serving both domestic and international flights. The investment in and success of the Tamchy airport makes the reconstruction and operation of the smaller, less capable Balykchy airfield economically redundant and strategically unnecessary.