Krasnoyarsk Severniy Airport

The airport was closed due to its replacement by the new, larger Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo Airport (now Krasnoyarsk International Airport, KJA/UNKL). The primary reasons for the replacement were: 1) The Severniy airfield's runway was too short and not equipped to handle the new generation of larger, heavier long-haul jetliners like the Ilyushin Il-62. 2) The airport had become completely surrounded by the expanding city of Krasnoyarsk, making runway extension impossible and creating significant noise and safety concerns for the residential areas.

The airport site has been completely redeveloped. It is now a bustling residential and business district of Krasnoyarsk known colloquially as 'Vzlyotka' (Взлётка), which literally translates to 'Runway' or 'Take-off strip'. The former runway and aprons are now covered with apartment buildings, shopping malls (like the 'Planeta' mall), and office complexes. The original airport terminal building has been preserved, extensively reconstructed, and repurposed. It now serves as the 'Siberia' International Exhibition and Business Center (МВДЦ «Сибирь»), a major venue for trade shows and conferences in the region.

Krasnoyarsk Severniy was the original primary airport for the city and the region. It held immense strategic importance during World War II, serving as a crucial stop on the ALSIB (Alaska-Siberia) air route. This route was used to ferry thousands of American Lend-Lease aircraft from the United States to the Soviet Union's Eastern Front. After the war, it transitioned into the main civil airport, handling all of Krasnoyarsk's passenger and cargo traffic. It saw the evolution of Soviet aviation, servicing aircraft from the Lisunov Li-2 to the first Soviet jetliner, the Tupolev Tu-104. It was the air gateway to this major Siberian industrial center for over four decades.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been fully and densely redeveloped into an integral part of the city's urban landscape. Re-establishing an airport on this site is physically impossible.