Baykalovo Airport

The airport was closed for economic reasons following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The collapse of the centralized state-run Aeroflot and the subsequent elimination of state subsidies for local air routes made operations at small, rural airfields like Baykalovo financially unsustainable. The sharp decline in passenger traffic and the high cost of fuel and maintenance led to the widespread closure of such airports across Russia during this period.

The airport is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery of the location shows a clearly visible but overgrown and unmaintained dirt runway. The area where the terminal and support buildings once stood has been repurposed. It now appears to be an industrial or agricultural storage site, with several buildings and a vehicle yard. There are no signs of any current or recent aviation activity.

Baykalovo Airport was a typical Soviet-era local airfield, part of the extensive network of 'Local Air Lines' (Местные воздушные линии - MVL). Its primary function was to connect the administrative center of the Baykalovsky District with the regional capital, Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), and potentially other nearby towns. It handled passenger flights, mail delivery, cargo transport, and served critical functions like medical aviation (sanaviatsiya) and agricultural support (e.g., crop dusting). The operations were primarily conducted using rugged utility aircraft, most commonly the Antonov An-2. For decades, the airport was a vital transportation link for the local population in a region with less developed road infrastructure.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Baykalovo Airport. The economic case for restoring a small airfield in a rural area with established road connections is extremely weak. The focus of Russian aviation development is on modernizing larger regional hubs, not on reviving the Soviet-era network of small local airfields. Reopening is considered highly improbable.