Mariupol International Airport (MPW)

Mariupol International Airport (MPW), formerly known as Zhdanov Airport, has a long history as the primary aviation hub for southeastern Ukraine. Originally established in 1931, the facility underwent a major expansion in 1967, which included the construction of a new terminal building featuring notable mosaic friezes by the artist Victor Arnautoff. In early 2003, the airport launched a modern, multi-story terminal building designed to handle over 200 passengers per hour, and it officially received international status in May 2004. Until its closure to regular commercial traffic in 2014 due to the conflict in the Donbas region, the airport served as a vital link for the industrial city's steel and maritime industries, connecting Mariupol with major hubs across Eastern Europe. The airport's physical infrastructure suffered catastrophic damage during the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, particularly during the protracted Siege of Mariupol. The modern passenger terminal, which had been utilized as a base for security forces and military personnel during the preceding years of closure, was almost entirely destroyed by heavy shelling and intense urban combat. Satellite imagery from late 2022 and throughout 2023 shows a landscape of decimated structures and scarred aprons, marking the transition of the facility from a civil aviation gateway to a heavily fortified site of military contention and logistics. Currently, the airport remains under Russian occupation and is primarily used as a military base and logistics hub. While occupation authorities have proposed various timelines for the reconstruction of the facility—including survey work slated for 2026—no civilian aviation operations are presently active. Prior to the 2022 siege, the Ukrainian government had considered the existing airport too close to the front line for safe commercial use and had announced plans to build a new $120 million regional airport near the village of Yuryevka. Given the current security situation and the extent of the damage to the original UKCM site, the future of the airport as a public transportation facility remains entirely dependent on the cessation of hostilities and long-term regional stabilization.