Welcome readers to the page of my new review!
After a rather long break, I am returning to the pages of a respected site.
Today we have a review of the flight on the route Minsk-Kazan.
The journey begins from the platform of the Central bus station in Minsk , from where buses depart to the Minsk National Airport
After an hour on the way, we safely arrive at the main air harbor Republic of Belarus
A panorama of the square in front of the terminal opens from the passenger disembarkation point
We go into the terminal building
On one of the main departure boards there is a live broadcast of the military parade in honor of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Germans fascist invaders and Independence Day, celebrated that day
I find another main board, used for its intended purpose, where I see that check-in for my flight has not yet begun
The routes shown on the board correspond more to the airport of a Russian regional city, and not to the capital of an independent state (Independence Day is celebrated today). And once upon a time, about 6 years ago, it was completely different (photo from my 2018 review)
And the reasons were not the past pandemic. It seems like they should develop, but it turns out the way it did.
While we have time, let’s take a walk around the departures area of We move from the left to the right
The children's playground is closed (how many times I've been here I've never seen it open, first because of the pandemic, and then, there's no explanation)
There's a small one near it waiting area
Next cafes with interesting design of the walls of technical rooms
There is a pharmacy and post office
Those wishing to exchange currency go here
Whoever has oversized luggage, please go to the specialized check-in counter
We approach numerous check-in counters for flights at this time extremely uncrowded
In the central part of the terminal they are ready to answer your questions in the information center
Those wishing to purchase a Minsky watch Luch plant can do this without any problems
There are several points for packing luggage, one of them with a price for the service
"Old-timer" from airport cafes
You can look at the arrivals board
You can top up your luggage or hand luggage with national Belarusian goods here
The number of catering outlets and more continues (I noticed a large number, compared to previous visits, of vending machines selling coffee and coffee drinks, at citywide prices, which I consider very convenient)
We continue moving
We approach the online donut shop and slot machines
Next we have the "Liner" restaurant and the dining room, loudly called Food court
The "liner" pretended not to be working, but the Food court was waiting for everyone who wanted to refresh themselves
Meanwhile, check-in for the flight to Kazan begins and we head to the counter to receive a boarding pass
Having received it, we head to the inspection point for passengers flying to the EAEU countries
After passing through security control, there is no passport control, we immediately find ourselves in the “clean” zone
There are only four gates here. There is time to look at the apron, A320 AEROFLOT at Sheremetyevo
E175 Belavia at the next gate is preparing to fly there
In the distant parking lots there are two Belarusian "Tankolet" and E195
and cargo IL-76, some half disassembled
Cities of the Russian Federation on the departure board
The "clean zone" is quite small, two waiting rooms at the gates, several shops (not Duty free) and a couple of cafes
Motion begins on the apron, AEROFLOT is heading home
Like the board of the SLO "Russia", unexpectedly appeared during taxiing (I could be wrong, maybe this is the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation returning to Moscow, he was the head of the Russian delegation at the parade)
And the E175 "Cosmonaut M. Vasilevskaya" will sit at the tail of the A320
There is also a passage to a higher level to the business lounge
Boarding time is approaching
We go to the private bus
Which brings us on board is an Embraer ERJ-195, with tail number EW-400PO, from the assembly line in May 2014 it entered the Belavia fleet, in December 2018 it received a special livery " World of Tanks" and the name Tankolet, at the time of the flight on board for 10 years 3 months. This is the second aircraft in a special livery dedicated to the famous game
Nearby is the first special livery aircraft, an old B733, which will be heading to Domodedovo
Let's board our Tankolet
I greet the cabin crew and go to the back to my 24th row, where I take seat A
Seats for legs, with a height of 173 cm, it is enough, the ceiling panel and luggage racks are for your attention, as is the next seat (left free)
Element of special livery in the cabin, branded anti-macassar
Passengers are in the cabin and ready to depart (economy occupancy was 95%), flight B2937 took place on July 3, scheduled departure at 12.50, actually at 13.05, scheduled arrival at 15.10, actually arrived at 15.00, travel time was 1 hour 55 minutes
The flight attendants give instructions, and the board begins to move
We pass the most modern Belavia B737Max aircraft (the air carrier's fleet has been reduced to 13 aircraft from the former 30 units), which returned from Delhi and is preparing for Istanbul
And A321 of the Kazakhstan Air Force, which delivered the official delegation led by the Ministry of Defense
Moving to the second, newer runway
We taxi onto the straight line and non-stop acceleration and liftoff
Gaining altitude above the Belarusian-Chinese industrial park "Great Stone"
And higher and higher into the Belarusian sky
Let's look around the interior: the armrest and belt buckle are in good condition
We fly over the Novolukomlskaya State District Power Plant
We reached the flight level above the upper layer of clouds
From the literature we have the safety instructions and the Sky Shop catalogue, the logbook disappeared during the pandemic and has not been revived
We are preparing for service and discovering (previously did not fly on tank ships) on the tables there is information about combat vehicles used by players of the famous game, on my AMX-40, on the neighboring M41 Walker Bulldog
Service includes soft and hot drinks, chocolate covered marshmallows and everything
Smooth flight continues across the Russian expanses
Lower Novgorod under the wing
For a short time the "neighbor" was nearby
Rare clouds revealed the earth's surface
The island city of Sviyazhsk is under your wing, just a stone's throw from Kazan
We begin our descent over the outskirts of Kazan, flying around the airport to reach the landing glide path
Here comes the landing
We follow to the terminal past the aircraft hangars
The Russian Aerospace Forces flying laboratory at the base IL-86
Clusters of Soviet aircraft
We park at terminal 1 of Kazan airport
Passengers are ready to jump out on the go
Last to leave the board, lastly my seat, economy and business salons
The board at the airport is being prepared for the return journey
I take the bus to terminal 1 , where passport control awaits
Having safely passed through it, without waiting for luggage, we move through terminals 1 and 1A to exit to the city, it turns out I went through the entire port, the entire departure passenger area
Let me conclude this review. The return journey was by ground transport, therefore there will be no aerial review.
According to tradition, conclusions:
National Airport "Minsk" - 5, copes with all the necessary procedures, the passenger is comfortable
Tankolet and Belavia - 5, everything is excellent , the board is in good condition, the crew is correct and professional
Kazan Airport - 5, everything is clear and simple.
Thank you for your attention to the review!
See you again!
Vote for review: