Pervomaysk/Zhitnitsa Airfield

Primarily economic reasons. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the centralized Aeroflot system was dismantled. The newly formed regional airlines could not afford to operate unprofitable routes to small, remote settlements like Pervomaysk. The sharp decline in the local economy, coupled with the end of state subsidies for air transport, led to a drastic drop in passenger demand, making the airfield economically unviable.

The airfield is abandoned and completely non-operational. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows a clearly defined but heavily degraded and overgrown runway. There are no signs of maintenance or aviation activity. Any associated infrastructure, such as a terminal building or service huts, is likely in a state of severe disrepair or has been dismantled. The site is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Pervomaysk/Zhitnitsa was a typical Soviet-era local airline (Местные воздушные линии - MVL) airfield. Its primary function was to provide essential air connectivity for the remote settlement of Pervomaysk and the surrounding Smirnykhovsky District on Sakhalin Island. Operated by the Far Eastern Directorate of Aeroflot, it handled regular passenger flights, mail delivery, cargo transport, and critical medical evacuation (sanaviatsiya) services. The airfield connected Pervomaysk with the regional capital, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and other key towns on the island. Operations were typically carried out using rugged, short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) aircraft suitable for its unpaved or gravel runway, such as the Antonov An-2 biplane and possibly the Let L-410 Turbolet.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening the Pervomaysk/Zhitnitsa airfield. While the Russian government and the Sakhalin Oblast administration have programs aimed at reviving regional aviation in the Far East, these efforts are focused on larger, more strategically important airfields that can serve as regional hubs (e.g., Smirnykh, Nogliki). The prohibitive cost of completely rebuilding the runway and infrastructure at Zhitnitsa, combined with the small population of Pervomaysk, makes its restoration economically infeasible. The airfield is considered permanently closed.