Aviastar's airport in Ulyanovsk suffering some of the poroblems of other airports, but being helped by its cargo business

Published: 11/22/1999

Aviastar"s Ulyanovsk-Vostochny airport is unique in Russia as being the only airport belonging to an aviation plant with international status. This was granted in June 1998 and formally ratified by the FSVT in November 1999. Without a fleet of its own, the airport focuses on servicing cargo air traffic and transit flights. Its 5,100m runway is the longest in the CIS, if not the world. Carriers that use the airport include Volga-Dnepr (VD), GTK Rossiya, Tyumenavia, Polyot Airlines, Urals Airlines, AK Aviastar, and the two Kazakh operators, Sahayat and Air Kazakhstan. Most of the passenger and cargo flights are chartered. There are only three regular weekly flights: two to Moscow and one to Hanover. Traffic is seasonal, with summer flights to Sochi, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Ulan-Ude. From November, a new flight Ulyanovsk-Volgograd-Baku will be added. Air Cairo"s Tu-204s have also made several charter flights on routes Cairo-Ulyanovsk-Moscow and Cairo-Ulyanovsk-Khabarovsk. According to A Gusev, First Deputy of the airport, ticket prices compare favourably with others in the Volga region and its service levels are high by comparison with other airports. However, in common with other airports, Ulyanovsk-Vostochny is struggling to keep pace with the cost of aviation fuel. Its monthly requirement of 2,000 tons cost 5,500 rubles per ton (with 100% advance payment) in October, compared to 2,000 rubles per ton in June. As a result, the number of flights has been reduced, from 147 in September to 47 in October. Charter flights are also declining. Despite this situation, the airport management is optimistic that it can open up new routes and reconstruct the apron in 2000. VD intends to use the airport for its An-124 on a more or less regular basis according to the carrier. Following its delivery in March 2000, the airport will also handle a cargo Boeing 747-200 for VD, for use on routes to China and Europe. Ulyanovsk is also the only Russian airport with painting facilities, using Russian-certified US equipment. This is a useful additional source of revenue. A DC-10 belonging to UK operator, PLS, is expected to arrive shortly for a paint job. Ulyanovsk"s central airport is not considered to be a viable competitor to the Aviastar airport, with its runway reported to be in a very poor condition and considered risky for jet aircraft.

Article ID: 1116