Mikhailovskoye Airport

Primarily economic reasons. The airport's closure was a direct result of the widespread economic crisis in Russia during the 1990s. Key factors included: the breakup of the state-owned Aeroflot into smaller, often financially unstable airlines; the termination of massive state subsidies that had kept regional air travel affordable; a hyper-inflationary environment that made fuel and maintenance costs prohibitive; and a sharp decline in passenger demand as the local population could no longer afford air travel.

The airport is completely abandoned and defunct. Satellite imagery of the coordinates (51.8328, 79.7091) clearly shows the remnants of a single, unpaved runway which is now heavily overgrown with grass and shrubs. The former terminal and service buildings are in a state of severe disrepair or have been repurposed for agricultural storage. The site is not maintained, and there is no aviation-related activity. The surrounding land is actively used for farming.

Mikhailovskoye was a classic Soviet-era local airport (Аэропорт местных воздушных линий - МВЛ) serving the Mikhailovsky District in Altai Krai. Its primary role was to connect this rural agricultural area with the regional capital, Barnaul. Operations were mainly conducted with versatile Antonov An-2 biplanes, which were ideal for short, unpaved runways. The airport handled scheduled passenger and mail flights, which were essential for connectivity, especially during winter or the spring thaw ('rasputitsa') when roads could be impassable. Additionally, it served as a vital base for agricultural aviation (Авиахимработы), performing crop-dusting and fertilizing for the region's large collective farms, and supported air ambulance (санитарная авиация) flights for medical emergencies.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening Mikhailovskoye Airport. The economic case for its operation does not exist. Ground transportation infrastructure in the region has improved significantly since the 1990s, making short-haul flights redundant. While the Russian government has programs to support regional aviation, these are focused on larger, more strategically important airports. The cost to rebuild the infrastructure and subsidize flights to a small town like Mikhailovskoye would be prohibitive, and there is no commercial demand. The airport is considered permanently closed.