Part 9: Minsk Airport and the international business lounge

I arrived at T-3.5 at the airport, and had still some time to kill before check-in would open three hours before departure. At a normal airport in this region that would mean quite a lot of time to kill given how basic most airports (and lounges) are, but Minsk is slightly different.





Aviation lovers will like the collection of old aeroplanes in a field next to the airport access road. There is a pavement leading there from arrivals, and it is an easy five minute walk. Among the planes visible is a Tupolev Tu-154 in Belavia livery...



An Ilyushin Il-76 freighter of Transavia Export (no relation to the Dutch-French low-cost airline)...



An awesome Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134...



And quite a few more old Soviet aeroplanes to admire!



After a while I walked back to the airport where the check-in desks for Turkish Airlines were just opened, including a dedicated check-in line for business class and *G passengers. As I already had checked in online, I just needed a real boarding pass for my collection, making the process extremely quick. The agent also provided a lounge invitation.





There were no queues at all at security and passport control and I got through fast. Minsk's airport is a wonderfully old-fashioned maze of small corridors, oddly designed gate areas and weirdly located shops. It took quite a while to find the entrance to the business lounge, which is located by going up the stairs located in the middle of one of the tax-free shops. This is the only business class lounge in the international part of the airport. The other lounge is located in the 'domestic' part of the airport (Russia is considered as a domestic destination as both countries are in a passport union with no checks carried out).



I've been to quite a few lounges across almost all continents in my life, but I never have seen such a bizarre-looking lounge as the one in Minsk. The L-shaped lounge is not a room as such, but merely a part of the upper terminal floor that has been boarded of by iron plates about seven feet high, still leaving a big gap with the actual ceiling. Some plates were just left in their metallic colour, while others featured a picture of an aeroplane window with different sights of Belarus pictured in them. The main part of the lounge featured some lounge chairs, a few tables and seats, and oddly enough: two green double beds – all placed on a faux grass carpet.







The other side had mostly normal tables and seats as well as the buffet area.





There buffet had a few (cold) snacks only, as well as some fridges with sodas and beers and the like. There was also a bar where you could order the 'premium' drinks for an extra payment. The food looked dreary but nonetheless I decided to taste a bit for reviewing purposes. At the very least, in the former Soviet Union food is normally cooked to death as canteens and such old-fashioned lounge facilities, which means a relatively low risk of food poisoning. That said, I can't tell how long the food has been out there, so it isn't entire risk-free either! The little bites tasted better than they looked like and were edible enough - and I did not get sick.



The wifi speeds were low and at times I couldn't grab the lounge signal and had to wait for five or so minutes before it would reconnect. I thus decided to spend my time by lazing in one of the double beds and drinking a beer or two 'admiring' the bizarre lounge design.



After a while I had enough of the lounge and decided to walk a bit around the airport. Despite the fact that you can't actually get close to a window due to the weird design there are plants and walkways in between the waiting areas and the windows) there is some good plane spotting possible here. What to think of this exotic Turkmenistan Airlines plane?



The architecture of the airport itself is equally bizarre as the lounge. I actually do like the weirdness of the Soviet-futuristic looks of each gate area – most of them which feature a small bar. It somehow feels a bit like walking in a communist spaceship. That said – the airport is really not designed well when it comes to passenger comfort and basic logic to make the best use of available space.



Unfortunately, my incoming Turkish Airlines flight posted a delay coming from Istanbul and arrived a good 40 minutes late in Minsk – creating a potential problem for my connection to Almaty...



Next up: Flying Turkish Airlines in business class to Istanbul.. and some hectic moments at Istanbul Airport