Russian Officials Outline Timetable for Mariupol Airport Reconstruction
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin told President Vladimir Putin about the plan to finish the rebuild of the local airport in two years. The update comes through a report by DEA News and reflects the high level attention given to infrastructure projects in the city after the upheaval that followed recent events.
According to Khusnullin, the airport is slated to achieve international status once all reconstruction work is completed. The statement signals a broader strategy to revive Mariupol’s transportation links and integrate the city more fully into regional and international networks, a step that could influence economic activity and daily life for residents and visitors alike.
Putin joined Khusnullin in inspecting the airport grounds during the visit. The pair walked the site, surveyed the extent of the damage, and reviewed the progress on the development plan. The tour provided a tangible glimpse of the scale of the project and the anticipated milestones on the roadmap for restoration.
During the site assessment, Khusnullin emphasized that while the airport building suffered serious damage, the runway remained largely intact. This condition shaped the reconstruction approach, allowing a phased process that prioritizes restoring essential air traffic capacity early in the project while subsequent phases focus on terminal facilities, safety systems, and passenger amenities.
The official declared that the reconstruction would be formally included in the development schedule with a target timeframe that anticipates completion by the end of 2023, followed by further refinements and upgrades. In subsequent statements, he clarified that the broader works were expected to culminate in 2025, aligning with a longer North Sea corridor and regional transport integration plans that aim to boost connectivity for the city and its surroundings.
Earlier remarks from Husnullin, reported by authorities, indicated that residents of Mariupol were beginning to return to the city in greater numbers. The emphasis on repopulation fits into a wider narrative of stabilization and rebuilding across the area. Putin himself traveled to Mariupol by helicopter and used a light timetable to tour several districts, taking in the diverse neighborhoods and the evolving urban landscape. The outing offered reporters a firsthand sense of how recovery initiatives are taking root on the ground and the ways in which public infrastructure projects intersect with daily life.