The corona pandemic is causing low utilization of aircraft and airports around the world. Terminals that were once overcrowded are often yawning empty and waiting times at the security check are now rather the exception. But what does an airport do that has only two upcoming departures in the evening and that in two different terminals?
Save electricity by switching off the lights in the security area in all areas that are not in the immediate vicinity of the required gate. This is what happened on Tuesday evening at Kiev Airport. The campaign should not have been very well thought out, because only one of two lounges is open. It would have been logical to open Lounge Blue, which is located near the used Gate A2. But logic and aviation are always two terms that are mutually exclusive.
The Lounge Green, which is located at the other end of the international Terminal A, was open. To get there or back to departure gate A2, a short tour of the security area is required. Because electricity costs money and, with the exception of two duty free shops and the lounge, everything was closed anyway due to lack of demand, the lighting was omitted and passengers were given a “creepy” insight into the effects of the corona pandemic on Kiev-Zhulianyany Airport.
Only two flights were processed late in the evening: Motor Sich Airlines flew with Antonov An-24 to the Zaporozhye home base and used - as usual - Terminal D (domestic flights) for this. Wizzair flew to Vienna with an Airbus A320 and was handled in Terminal A (international flights). Gate A2 is located immediately after passport control or the duty-free shop and the lounge green - as mentioned - at the other end of the security area. By the way: The way to the toilets was not lit either, but in the pitch black no one had to relieve themselves: in the quiet place everything was of course brightly lit.
The video below shows a section of the route from Lounge Green to Gate A2 through a dark, almost unused terminal at Kiev Airport (IEV). If the YouTube video is not displayed, it can also be found under this link be accessed.
and 