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October 12, 2019Minsk National Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on November 21, 2023
Minsk airport is located 40 km from the capital of the Republic of Belarus in the largest in of the country. Even if the titles suggest a national airport, MSQ is an international airpot and the main gate to the country. In 2018, the airport served more than 4.5 million passengers.
It is the home airport of Belavia, Genex(An-26), Transaviaexport (Il-76 and B747), RubyStar (Il-76, An-12) and BySky (Pilatus PC-12). Minsk is served mainly by airlines from Russia, such as Aeroflot, UTair, from Ukraine (Ukraine International Airlines), and airlines from Europe, such as Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Air Baltic and few others. Other international carriers are Air China on the A330 from Beijing and Etihad from Abu Dhabi on A320. Also often fly business aircraft. Furthermore there is there is an aviation plant №407 at the airport, which serves Il76, Tu-134, Yak-40, Yak-42. But many aircraft are at their end of life and stored in front of the terminal.
Online timetable can be found on the official airport website.
This guide is written by Dmitry Molokovich (local Spotter). Last Update: October 2019
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 13R/31L | 3.641 m x 60 m |
| 13L/31R | 3.700 m x 60 m |
| Terminals | One terminal for all flights. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Needed for spot point #3 only. |
| Car/Public Transport | Bus stop in the terminal to get to the airport but for the spots 1,2 and 5 you need a car. |
| Restrooms | Only at the airport. |
| Drinks/Food | There is a gas station and a small snack bar before the terminal entrance. (see map) |
| Hotels | There are no hotels around the airport. |
| Season | Winters are very cold, in summer very hot but spring and autumn has comfortable weather. |
| Security | There are no problems with police around the airport. Only if there are flights of the government be cautious. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | The use of the runways depends on the direction of the winds that can change at any given time. Usually one is in use for arrivals and one for departures but this can change from day to day. 31R and 31L bands are most often used, mainly when the wind is North or North-West |
 |
Spot #1 – Dirthill – 13R/31L movements |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The spot is located on the back side of the airport. To get there by car start at the terminal and just turn left after the museum and drive all the way around the 13R runway. After you have passed it turn left at the next junction. Continue for approximate two kilometers through the forrest until you see a small unpaved dirt road to your left. Get into this an park as marked on the map. Because then the car can get stuck after bad weather. On foot from the terminal it is a 1-1.5 hours along this road. Not really an option.
+++ UPDATE DEC. 2019: sadly this location has been demolished and is not available at the moment. There is no alternative for the moment +++ |
| WHAT | All movements on runway 13R/31L. Takeoffs and landings can be made easily from this place in any direction. |
| TIME | In winter from noon but expect backlit in the summer from morning until noon. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed as you are on an elevated position to clear the airport wall. You are in the middle of nowhere so bring everything with you. At this point there is a small construction of logs and it is quite strong in the shade so the sun does not warms you up in winter. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 135-200mm |
 |
Spot #2 – Forest – 31L arrivals/departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This point is at the end of runway 31L in the forrest next to the perimeter fence. Continue on the main road from #1 eastwards and turn left into a small unpaved dirt road after the big left bend.
If you don’t wanna drive through the forrest and just wanna photograph the arrivals stay where the forest path begins. |
| WHAT | From here only landings on 31L will be visible. In rare exceptions takeoffs on 31L are possible but if the weather is sunny the heat blows up. |
| TIME | In winter from noon but expect backlit in the summer from morning until noon. |
| MISC. | Again you are in the middle of nowhere so bring everything you need with you. If it has rained, try not to go far on the unpaved road, otherwise there is a risk that the car can get stuck |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 135-200mm Souther Spot: 73H=200mm; E170=280mm |
Pictures taken at the southern spot (entrance to the forest)
 |
Spot #3 – Airport Parking – Taxiway |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This point is next to the terminal on an official parking lot and just a 5 minute walk. There is a pretty high fence so a ladder is needed. |
| WHAT | Views taxiing to/from runway 13L/31R |
| TIME | Only possible to photograph in the summer evenings from here when the sun is behind you. |
| MISC. | There is a water/food terminal nearby. A high ladder is necessary, or it becomes on the roof of the car. Chance of being send away from security is 50/50. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 90-150mm |
 |
Spot #4 – Hill – 13L arrivals/departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This point is located on a hill near the end of the RWY 13L. You can get here on foot (15 minutes from the terminal) or by car. Do not believe Google maps (September 2019), the new asphalted road is already there. Turn right after the museum and then just left (it is behind the gas station). Continue for approximate 1km until you see the glade in the forest with a perfect sight onto the threshold. Just park along the road and walk to the spot. |
| WHAT | Takeoffs, landings and taxiing to RWY 13L. |
| TIME | In winter from noon but expect backlit in the summer from morning until noon. |
| MISC. | Open space and 10 minutes walk from there is a gas station with water/food. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 55-100mm to taxiway, 120-150 to takeoff/landings |
 |
Spot #5 – Dirthill – 13L/31R movements |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This point is located on the back side of the airport. Continue on the road from spot #4 (do not believe Google Maps, there is no street below the runway) and drive all the way around the runway until the next junction. Then turn right and drive all the way down till the airport fence. Park your car at the road and walk leftwards to a huge empty area where you can look for your preferred position. |
| WHAT | From this point you can see all the traffic on runway 13L/31R no matter which direction is active. |
| TIME | From morning up to noon during the summer months only. |
| MISC. | Once again you are in the middle of nowhere. A lot of sand and dirt so use good footwear. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 125-180mm |
 |
Spot #6 – Dirt Road – 31L arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From location #2 continue on the main road northwards, pass the approach of 31L and turn right at the next junction in to a sandy dirt road. Continue there for approximate 500 meters and park your on the side of the road. Avoid this road if it is wet but otherwise it is no problem. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on Runway 31L only. |
| TIME | From morning up to noon during the summer months only. |
| MISC. | Once again you are in the middle of nowhere. A lot of sand and dirt so use good footwear. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | CRJ200 = 280mm; 733 = 220mm |
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