Koltsovo Airport continues to develop its facilities despite economic conditions

Published: 8/26/1999

Despite the current economic situation in Russia and the resulting drop in the passenger and cargo traffic, the management of Koltsovo airport, the largest international airport in the Urals and Western Siberia, has persevered in upgrading facilities, using its own funds. Supported by the Sverdlovsk Oblast Government, airport management developed a plan to upgrade airport facilities in 1993. The European Commission (EC) helped to design a three-stage development project, which will continue until 2015. The first stage includes the construction of an international 10,000m2 terminal with an hourly capacity of 600 passengers, as well as the construction of a catering facility and a cargo terminal. The second phase involves expansion of the air terminal complex and the cargo terminal, a runway extension, construction of taxiways and office buildings, and installation of utility systems. The third phase of the project will focus on improving passenger services by constructing a new hotel and parking lot. When completed, the airport's capacity is expected to be 30m passengers a year. The project has not yet been fully funded. The total amount of investment needed is about $200m. The airport administration is now working on the first stage of the project, valued at approximately $25 million. The airport signed a contract in June 1997, with French company, Aeroports de Paris, to design the first phase of the international passenger terminal. The airport project is seeking funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Located in Yekaterinburg, the capital of Sverdlovsk Oblast, one of the richest and most highly urbanized oblasts in Central Russia, Koltsovo Airport constitutes a key link in Russia's air transport system. It currently ranks third in Russia in terms of domestic passenger volume, after Moscow's Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports. In 1993, it became a public joint-stock company, with a total of about 3,000 employees. The Russian Federation owns 25.5% of airport's shares, Sverdlovsk Oblast owns 25.5% and airport personnel own 40%. The remaining 9% is held privately. Passenger and cargo traffic dropped dramatically in September 1998 and has remained well below pre-crisis levels. The airport's major customers are local airlines, including Urals Air, Aviacon Citotrans, and Aviaprad. Moscow's Transaero, St. Petersburg's Pulkovo, Kazakh National Airlines, and other Russian and NIS airlines, providing regular flights to Yekaterinburg. In addition, the airport services regular charter flights to Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Cyprus, China, and the Gulf States. Since October 1996, Hungary's Malev Airlines has operated a regular charter flight from Yekaterinburg to Budapest. KLM and British Airways are also considering establishing service to Yekaterinburg.

Article ID: 802