Bakharevka Airport

The closure was driven by a combination of economic and urban planning factors. The primary reason was the high value of the land for real estate development, as the airport was located within the expanding city limits of Perm. This urban encroachment made its operation increasingly impractical and noisy for surrounding residential areas. Furthermore, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the demand for the state-subsidized, short-haul regional flights that Bakharevka specialized in had sharply declined, making the airport economically unviable. All major passenger and cargo traffic had long been consolidated at the larger, more modern Bolshoye Savino Airport (USPP), rendering Bakharevka redundant for primary aviation needs.

The airport site has been completely and permanently redeveloped. The runways, taxiways, and all airport buildings have been demolished. In its place, a large residential microdistrict has been built, fittingly named 'Polyot' (Полет), which translates to 'Flight' in Russian, as a nod to the area's history. The former airport grounds are now covered with modern high-rise apartment buildings, schools, retail spaces, and new roads.

Bakharevka was the original main airport for the city of Perm (known as Molotov from 1940 to 1957). Opening in the pre-jet era, it served as the primary gateway to the region, handling passenger flights to Moscow and other major Soviet cities on aircraft like the Li-2 and Il-14. After the larger Bolshoye Savino Airport was built in the 1960s to accommodate jet aircraft, Bakharevka transitioned into a vital hub for local and regional aviation (MVL - Local Air Lines). It operated a fleet of smaller aircraft, primarily the Antonov An-2, as well as Yak-40 and L-410 Turbolet, connecting Perm with dozens of small towns, remote villages, and industrial settlements throughout the Perm Oblast. The airport was also a critical base for general and special aviation, including air ambulance services (sanitary aviation), agricultural crop-dusting, and aerial geological surveys.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been irreversibly converted to dense urban use. The physical infrastructure of the airport is entirely gone, and the area is now a fully integrated residential part of the city of Perm.