BEL: Minsk National Airport

Smalyavichy Raion, Minsk, Belarus

Formerly known as Minsk-2 Airport, Minsk National Airport is the main gateway to Belarus that's located about 42 km away from the capital city. The airport serves as the hub of Belavia, the flag carrier of the country. FYI, Minsk-1 Airport near downtown Minsk is now defunct. 

As my BFF and I'd be catching a flight to Istanbul, Turkey at 7.25am, we had to wake up early. We took a bus from the main bus station at 3.50am, although admittedly it was a tad early as the journey took only 45 minutes. Better be safe than sorry, right?

The one-way trip to the airport costs BYR 4.00 (~S$2.65) per person.

The airport was inaugurated in 1982 with the first passenger flight operated with a Tupolev Tu-134. It underwent a major refurbishment in 2014, resulting in the modern terminal building that we see today.

By then, I've been able to read quite a bit of the Belarusian alphabets.

I couldn't resist the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting in the air.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way~

As the Wi-Fi was quite reliable, I spent some time chatting with my mother before the check-in counters were ready.

There are some self-service check-in counters for Belavia.

Belarusian immigration officers must be among the most meticulous people on Earth. They check everyone's passport very, very carefully. I recall spending close to five minutes at the counter, waiting to get clearance from the burly officer.

The prices of the items are quoted in USD and EUR, but you can pay with your remaining BYR.

Care to bring one of those winter collection bears home?

I almost scolded when my BFF when he suddenly exclaimed, "Mr Mime!" that made my heart skipped a beat in such a quiet atmosphere. Well, I haven't been actively playing Pokémon Go for the past year or so, but I certainly wouldn't want to miss the opportunity of catching that Europe-exclusive species.

After that, we went to the gate to wait for the boarding announcement to be made.

At the point of writing, a second runway is being built and will be commissioned by 1 January 2019 according to Vladimir Kostin, Director of the Aviation Department of the Belarusian Transport and Communications Ministry.