Published: 6/19/1998

The seventh annual Certification of Airports conference, organised by the Airport Association, a voluntary union of Russian airports, took place at the end of May at the Novotel-Sheremetievo-2 hotel. Over 250 executives from 19 CIS countries heard an opening address by Victor Gorlov, first deputy director of Russian Federation's Federal Aviation Service (FAS RF). He said that today many Russian regional airports are undergoing a process of separation from so-called unitary aviation department (where they act together with a regional airline), becoming an independent state enterprise with consequent transformation into a joint-stock company. According to Gorlov, this is an essential part in the transition from planned to market-driven economy for the Russian civil aviation industry. "It is too early to give a final assessment of this process - the reforms continue to go on, with some corrections being introduced based on experience we have obtained", he said. Although in theory all airports should become independent companies in the next few years, some regional authorities - for instance, the administrations of St.Petersburg, Khabarovsk and Kransnoyarsk - insist that their unitary aviation departments must remain 'as is' for some time in order to prevent possible undesirable effects on the whole of local transport system. "In some cases the separation caused problems, so we begin to listen carefully to the local authorities in each particular case", Gorlov said. He admitted that the transition to the market-driven economy has been more difficult than had been predicted. Karl Ruppel, deputy FAS RF director for certification, revealed that in today's Russia, many airport directors believe it is the free market that should regulate everything in the civil aviation sphere. "They treat orders issued by FAS RF as a desire to regain full control over the airports from Moscow", he said. To Ruppel, this viewpoint is wrong. "Elements of state control should always be incorporated in the life of the civil aviation system in order to guarantee that the interests of the state and the community -- like flight safety and personal security - are well protected", he explained. Ruppel's words apply to Part 8 of the Air Code, put in force by President Yeltsin in April last year, which prescribes mandatory state certification for all enterprises working in the civil aviation system, including airports and aerodromes. Appropriate certification rules and procedures are found in the Certification system on air transport in the Russian Federation set and other guiding documents from FAS RF and other state structures. Soon these will be supplemented by the Federal Aviation Rules (FAP), which are now under development. There are five regional air transport certification centres in Russia, along with one special research laboratory and 12 specialised certification centres. FAS managers confess that the airport certification system has not yet reached a mature form - still lacking some key elements. This, however, has not prevented seven major Russian airports - Astrakhan, Samara, Rostov-upon-Don, Pulkovo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetievo - from getting official state certificates covering the whole spectrum of airport activities and services. Ruppel says that obligatory state certification covers 13 major activities. FAS RF has set the task to have certificated the majority of Russian airports by the end of this year. "The time of total certification will come very soon", Karl Ruppel states. FAS RF promises not to give licences to commercial activities for those airports which would not have valid state certificates after a certain date in the next year. Separately from the Russian national certificates giving an airport permission to conduct commercial airport activities, the Interstate Aviation Committee is responsible for certification of civil airdromes to ICAO Cat.1, 2 and 3 standards. Certification of Soviet airports to ICAO standards (Cat.1, 2 and 3) began in 1973, with the foundation of the State Aviation Register. In 1991, after the break-up of the USSR, the Register handed over its functions to MAK, the Interstate Aviation Committee. Among other things, MAK issues permissions to airports for serving international flights. Since 1991, 76 CIS aerodromes have been certified by MAK. Out of that total, 65 airports received permission for international flights and 36 to conduct ICAO Cat.2 flight operations. So far, none ofthe CIS airports have been given permission to conduct ICAO Cat.3 operations. Russia, the largest member in the CIS, now has 62 MAK-certified airports, including 28 to ICAO Cat.1 and 2. Out of that total, only seven provide ICAO Cat.2 operations. According to MAK data, Russia now has 736 operable airports and aerodromes, including 63 with federal status. In 1991, the number was 1200, but the decline in air traffic led to the closure of many small aerodromes in Siberia and Northern regions. In the last three years, 115 airports were closed, all being small ones serving domestic routes. Victor Gorlov says that MAK statistics reflect the major trend in the Russian civil aviation: a country-wide decline of domestic air services goes on simultaneously with a steady increase in the international flight sector. Out of 736 airports listed as 'operable', some 50 are, in fact, dead, said Gorlov, adding that the number of airports with long, paved runways (1800-3500 m) has been rising. FAS RF finds the situation with local airports critical. In an effort to stop the negative tendency, the Service has developed a program aimed at re-creating air traffic in the province, especially in Russia's Northern regions. Among other measures, the program calls for handing over smaller airports, most of which are currently in federal possession, to regional administrations. In many cases the latter authorities are keen to donate local airports in order to maintain regular services between key dwelling points within the territory of their responsibility. Leaving domestic aerodromes to local authorities, FAS RF relies on foreign investors in developing the infrastructure of bigger airports, especially those with international status. Some investment projects have been arranged. Among them is one worth $150m on modernisation of Pulkovo airport. Some western funding has also been obtained by Samara airport located in the heart of Volga river region and Koltsovo of Ekaterinburg in the Urals. The attractiveness of Russian airports for commercial investors will certainly increase with the validation of a new law entitled "About airports". The latter would give airports more freedom in conducting so-called "non-aviation activities" on their territories. The key point in this new law is ownership of land on which airports are sited. "Should the land be given to airports in ownership or, at least, as a long-term lease, then investors, both local and foreign, will get much more interested in funding the whole of Russian aviation industry", FAS officials say. On May 15 the Parliament had its first hearings on the law, finding the draft text immature. Gorlov believes, however, that after a series of amendments, the long-awaited law "About airports" will pass through Parliament this autumn. (AP698.1) (VK)

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