Pavlodar Airport in northern Kazakhstan, idle since spring 2025, is preparing to resume operations following a reconstruction of its runway.
According to Kazakhstan's Transport Prosecutor's Office, the reconstruction is scheduled for completion in September 2026 — though the regional administration had earlier cited August. The KZT 16.4 billion project (9.3 billion of it from a recovered-assets fund) covers the runway, taxiway and apron, with new lighting, drainage, CCTV and perimeter fencing. After commissioning and runway certification, regular flights to Astana and Almaty will resume, with Shymkent and Aktau planned next; Tashkent, Novosibirsk and Omsk have also been mentioned. Capacity will rise from 200 to 300 passengers per hour.
No exact first-flight date has been officially confirmed — sources indicate August–September. The terminal building is not part of this project; its modernization is being handled separately.
The airport suspended operations in spring 2025 because, without an upgraded runway, it could not obtain the airworthiness certification required to receive flights. Reopening restores air access to the Pavlodar region and revives a dormant secondary market.