Emperor Nicholas II Murmansk Airport — Murmansk, Russia

Murmansk Airport, coded MMK, lies roughly 20 kilometers south of the city it serves, the largest human settlement north of the Arctic Circle. Murmansk itself owes its existence to a warm branch of the Gulf Stream, which keeps its harbor ice-free through the winter and made it a vital naval and merchant port during both World Wars and the Cold War. The airport took on its formal name, honoring Emperor Nicholas II, following a 2018 nationwide vote that attached historical figures to major Russian airports, a choice that stirred debate given the tsar's fate after the 1917 revolution. Flights from MMK connect mainly to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other domestic points, with the terminal handling a modest but steady flow of passengers tied to fishing, shipping, and Arctic resource industries. Long polar nights and short summer days shape its operating rhythm each year.