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First runway in Minsk airport scheduled for repairs in 2020

MINSK, 3 May (BelTA) – Repairs of the first runway in the Minsk National Airport will begin in 2020. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko was informed about the plans as he visited the airport on 3 May, BelTA has learned.

The head of state was informed about results of construction of the second artificial runway, prospects of developing the airport and the adjacent area, transport links with the capital city and nearby towns.

According to Transport and Communications Minister Aleksei Avramenko, the two runways will be used simultaneously this year but repairs of the old one will begin by the end of 2020. “In essence we will have two equal runways able to handle any aircraft,” the official noted. The reconstruction of the first runway is estimated to cost $90 million and is supposed to take two to three years.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said he would like the first runway repaired without delays. “We don’t need anything excessive. Just restore it at minimal costs. Upgrade it if you need to and within an exceptionally tight timeframe,” the president said. “Travel round the world, study the cutting-edge practices and see how the runway can be licked into shape.”

The head of state also gave instructions to arrange convenient transportation by rail between Minsk, the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone, and the airport. The matter will be closely overseen. “We need a smart solution. The railway should be built fast so that people could travel conveniently,” Aleksandr Lukashenko requested.

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