Wikipedia

Sochi International Airport

Sochi International Airport (Russian: Международный Аэропорт Сочи; IATA: AER, ICAO: URSS) is an international airport located in the Adler District of the resort city of Sochi, on the coast of the Black Sea in the federal subject of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. Sochi International Airport is among the ten largest Russian airports, with an annual passenger turnover of 5.2 million.[2]

Sochi International Airport

Международный Аэропорт Сочи
Summary
Airport typepublic / military
OwnerOleg Deripaska
through Basic Element
OperatorSochi International Airport, JSC
ServesSochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Elevation AMSL27 m / 89 ft
Coordinates43°27′00″N 39°57′24″E / 43.45000°N 39.95667°E / 43.45000; 39.95667
Websiteaer.aero
Map
AER is located in Krasnodar Krai
AER
AER
Location of the airport in Krasnodar Krai
AER is located in European Russia
AER
AER
Location of the airport in Russia
AER is located in Europe
AER
AER
Location of the airport in Europe
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 2,200 7,218 Asphalt
06/24 3,000 9,482 Asphalt
Statistics (2018)
Passenger TrafficIncrease 6,343,869
Aircraft TrafficIncrease 21,174
Time ZoneUTC 3
Operating Time24/7, All Year
Sources: Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (see also provisional 2018 statistics)[1]

The airport is run by an international joint venture of Basic Element group, Sberbank and Changi Airports International. The airport has been recognized as the best regional airport at the 3rd annual forum "Development of Russia and CIS airports – 2013",[3] held by Adam Smith Conference. Sochi International Airport was the main gateway during the 2014 Winter Olympics. It served over 350,000 passengers on February 1–28, 2014. Over 2,800 tons of luggage was handled during the Olympic period.[4]

History

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The old building of Sochi airport
 
Check-in area

1941–1991

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The original airfield was constructed to protect Russia's Black Sea coast during World War II; construction took place between 8 July and 1 September 1941, on the site of the liquidated state seed farm "Chernomorets". By order of the Chief of the Office of Civil Aviation, the site became an established airport on 23 November 1945.

In 1956, the first terminal building (now the old building) and the airstrip runway-1 were built. Approximately 35,000 passengers and 1000 tons of cargo passed through the airport in 1957. From 1960 to 1965, passenger and baggage halls, a 200-room hotel, radio navigation and landing systems were all added to the airport as passenger traffic constantly increased. The Order of the Red Banner of Labor was awarded to the airport in August 1966 for its high performance. . Passenger traffic went from 902,000 embarkations in 1965 to more than 2.3 million in 1990. From its opening in 1957 to today, the airport has served more than 60 million passengers. Regularly scheduled international departures and arrivals began in 1981; the original destinations were Bratislava, Budapest, and Prague. The airport later expanded to include flights to the Middle East and Western Europe. The international section of Sochi's terminal is small, but it includes a duty-free shop.

1991–present

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President Vladimir Putin removed Sochi International Airport from the list of strategic enterprises on 3 May 2006 (Decree No.456), superseding its previous status under Decree No.1009 of 4 August 2004.

Sochi International Airport was privatized in 2006 after Federal Property Fund held an auction to sell 100% shares of the airport.[5] "Strategy-South", a company affiliated with Basic Element group (until 2001 – "Siberian Aluminum") won an auction to acquire the airport for 5.5 billion rubles.[6]

The airport in Sochi became the fourth airport in southern Russia. among the ones in Krasnodar, Anapa and Gelendzhik, operated by the Russian Asian Investment Company (RAInKo, owned by Oleg Deripaska) and "Airports of South". In 2007, Basic Element group established Basel Aero, a holding company that runs its airport business and operates all four airports.

Sochi International Airport which was under renovation, opened its doors to first passengers in 2010.[7][unreliable source?] It was further upgraded to meet the requirements of the International Olympic Committee as the gateway of the 22nd Olympic Winter Games.[8]

Basic Element, together with Russia's largest bank Sberbank and Changi Airports International, operator of the Singapore airport, established a joint venture to manage airports in Krasnodar region in 2012. Under the agreement, Basic Element has 50% plus one share in the JV, Sberbank's stake is 20% minus one share while Changi Airports International holds 30%.[9]

In 2007–2013, Basic Element spent over 14 billion rubles ($410 million) on the airport's renovation. A modernized airport's building features a 65,000-sq.m terminal with an advanced 450-m long boarding gallery adjacent to the airport, 10 boarding bridges ensuring a comfortable access to the aircraft,[10] a 4,000-sq.m VIP Terminal with the handling capacity of 80 passengers per hour that hosted IOC delegates and other high-profile guests at the Winter Olympics.[11] In charge of these extensive Sochi projects, including the airport renovation, was Andrey Elinson, Deputy CEO of Basic Element.[12] For his contribution to the construction of air transport infrastructure facilities, Elinson was awarded the national Order of Friendship and the state medal 'For the Construction of Transport Facilities'.[13][14][15]

New Zealand minted coins in 2010 as part of the 'Olympic capitals' collection, and placed a picture of a plane taking off from the Sochi airport on the "tails" of a new silver dollar coin.[citation needed]

Due to airspace closures and aircraft seizure risks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Aeroflot announced in March 2022 that it would open a hub at Sochi using Rossiya-operated Sukhoi SuperJet 100 aircraft to serve 17 short-haul international destinations in 6 countries, with an aim to facilitate connecting traffic to and from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Krasnoyarsk.[16]

 
NASA's FIRMS shows runway 02/20 extended to 2.60 km

As of 2024 satellite imagery shows runway 02/20 extended to 2.60 km.

Infrastructure

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Runways

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Sochi International Airport has two paved runways; combined with its taxiways network it has a total length of 4310 meters and a width of 40.5 m of paved tarmac. The platform and parking lot have a total area of 218 square meters, with spaces for more than 1000 cars. Because of the presence of natural obstacles (mountains) to the north and north-east of the airport, take off and landing are only possible on the sea side of the facility.[citation needed] The airport authority plans to extend the 06/24 runway up to 3.5 km, with a portion overlapping the Mzymta River at a width of 300 m.

The Sochi airport is certificated by Aviation Register of the MAC for its suitability for international flights. It has the ability to receive the following aircraft types: Airbus A310, Airbus A319/320/321, Airbus A350, Boeing 727, Boeing 737/747/757/767/777, CRJ 200, Fokker 70. IL-62, IL-76, IL-86, IL-96, Tu-134, Tu-144, Tu-154, Tu-204, Yak-40, Yak-42 and other planes III and IV classes. Since 2007, the airport takes aircraft of all types.

Main terminal

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The capacity of the airport complex is 750 passengers per hour/ 2500 passengers per day. The current terminal building was open to public in 2007. It has 3 floors with total area of 62,000 square meters and is one of the largest in Russia. The airport has 440 meters of corridor space and 10 boarding bridges for boarding and deplaning passengers. [citation needed] The airport received extensive renovations in anticipation of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

On 20 November 2006, the airport was auctioned to Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element group for 5.5 billion roubles (about $206.6 million).[citation needed] Deripaska is also a member of the committee organizing Sochi's bid for the Winter Olympics.[17]

The Sochi Airport railway station is located directly next to the terminal and connected via walkway bridge.

Airlines and destinations

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The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Sochi Airport:

AirlinesDestinations
Aeroflot Kazan, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Perm, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Ufa, Yekaterinburg
Air Arabia Sharjah (begins 27 June 2025)[18]
Air Serbia Belgrade[19]
AlMasria Universal Airlines Seasonal charter: Sharm El Sheikh
Armenian Airlines Yerevan[20]
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku (suspended)[21]
azimuth Almaty,[22] Antalya, Astrakhan,[23] Baku (suspended),[24] Dubai–Al Maktoum, Istanbul, Kaluga, Makhachkala,[23] Mineralnye Vody, Nalchik (begins 4 January 2025),[25] Penza,[23] Pskov, Samarqand,[22] Saransk,[23] Stavropol,[23] Tashkent,[26] Tel Aviv, Tbilisi,[27] Yaroslavl, Yerevan[23]
Azur Air Seasonal charter: Antalya, Colombo-Bandaranaike, Phuket,[28] Sharm El Sheikh[29]
Belavia Minsk
flydubai Dubai–International (suspended)[30]
FlyOne Armenia Yerevan[31]
I-Fly Moscow–Vnukovo,[32] Saint Petersburg,[33]
Ikar Barnaul, Ivanovo, Kurgan, Novokuznetsk, Perm, Samara, Syktyvkar, Tyumen, Ufa
IrAero Antalya, Istanbul
Izhavia Izhevsk
NordStar Moscow–Domodedovo
Nordwind Airlines Cheboksary, Chelyabinsk, Kazan, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk-International, Magnitogorsk,[34] Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Nizhnekamsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Perm, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Surgut, Tomsk, Tyumen, Ufa, Ulyanovsk–Baratayevka,[35] Yekaterinburg
Pobeda Chelyabinsk,[36] Kazan, Kirov,[36] Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[37] Moscow–Vnukovo, Perm, Samara, Saratov, Ufa, Yekaterinburg
Red Wings Airlines Bahrain,[38] Batumi, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Moscow–Zhukovsky,[39] Tbilisi, Tel Aviv, Yerevan
Seasonal charter: Hambantota–Mattala, Phuket
Rossiya Airlines Antalya, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Istanbul,[40] Krasnoyarsk, Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[41] Saint Petersburg, Yerevan[40]
S7 Airlines[42] Irkutsk,[43] Moscow–Domodedovo, Novosibirsk
Severstal Avia Cherepovets, Petrozavodsk
Smartavia Seasonal: Arkhangelsk–Talagi,[44] Chelyabinsk,[45] Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Murmansk, Omsk, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Ufa, Yekaterinburg
Ural Airlines Baku (suspended),[46] Chelyabinsk, Dubai–Al Maktoum,[26] Dushanbe, Istanbul,[47] Moscow–Domodedovo, Osh,[48] Samara,[49] Tashkent,[26] Yekaterinburg, Yerevan[50]
Seasonal charter: Hurghada,[51] Sharm El Sheikh[51]
Utair Moscow–Vnukovo, Surgut, Tyumen
Uzbekistan Airways Namangan,[26] Tashkent
Yamal Airlines Moscow–Domodedovo, Nadym, Novy Urengoy, Noyabrsk, Salekhard, Tyumen
Yakutia Airlines Moscow–Vnukovo

Statistics

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Annual traffic

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Annual passenger traffic at AER airport. See Wikidata query.
Annual Passenger Traffic[52]
Year Passengers % Change
2010 1,920,000  
2011 2,086,000   8.6%
2012 2,120,400   1.6%
2013 2,427,676   14.5%
2014 3,106,100   28%
2015 4,100,000   32%
2016 5,263,275   28%
2017 5,700,000   8%
2018 6,343,000   11.3%
2019 6,772,062   6.8%
2020 6,519,554   4%

Incidents and accidents

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  • On 28 July 1962, Aeroflot Flight 415, an Antonov An-10 crashed into the mountains near Sochi Airport, killing all 81 people aboard.[53]
  • On 1 October 1972, an Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-18V operating Aeroflot Flight 1036 crashed shortly after departure from Sochi Airport into the Black Sea, killing all 109 passengers and crew. The cause of the accident was never determined.[54]
  • On 3 May 2006, an Armavia Airbus A320-200 operating Armavia Flight 967 crashed in the Black Sea en route from Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport to Sochi. The airplane crashed into the sea while attempting to conduct a go-around following its first approach to Sochi airport, killing all 113 aboard. The accident was the first major commercial airline crash in 2006.[55]
  • On 25 December 2016, a Russian military Tupolev Tu-154 disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from Sochi. The aircraft was found to have crashed on the Black Sea. All 92 people on board, including the members of Russian military choir Alexandrov Ensemble were killed in the crash. The flight had originated in Moscow and was flying to Latakia in Syria.[56][57][58][59][60]
  • On 1 September 2018, Utair Flight 579, A Boeing 737-800 operating the flight, overran the runway, came to a stop in a river bed past the runway, and caught fire. 18 of the 164 passengers were injured, some from burns, some from carbon monoxide poisoning. One airport worker died during cleanup. The plane landed with a strong tail wind in heavy rain. The wind direction was changing quickly before the accident. There had already been attempts to land before the accident.[61]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Объемы перевозок через аэропорты России [Transportation volumes at Russian airports]. www.favt.ru (in Russian). Federal Air Transport Agency. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  2. ^ "(Russian) Sochi airport set a record in 2016, having served more than 5.2 million passengers".
  3. ^ "Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Russia's Best Airport". Koltsovo airport. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Sochi International Airport handled quarter of its annual passenger traffic during Olympics". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  5. ^ ES (2019-09-26). "Mutually beneficial: Why Sochi is to become a base airport for Aeroflot". Russian Aviation Insider. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  6. ^ Аэропорт Сочи продан с аукциона// RIA Novosti
  7. ^ Behind the scenes as Sochi Airport warms up for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games//airport-technology.com
  8. ^ "Asteros constructs operational IT-infrastructure for Sochi International Airport". sochi-airport.com. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  9. ^ Deripaska, Sberbank, Changi Set $820 Mln Airport JV // RIA Novosti
  10. ^ До конца лета в аэропорту Сочи будут работать все 10 телетрапов// Vesti
  11. ^ В аэропорту Сочи открыт VIP-терминал // Russia 24 TV
  12. ^ Yaffa, Joshua (3 January 2014). "The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Cost $51 Billion - Bloomberg". Bloomberg.
  13. ^ "24 декабря Министр транспорта РФ Максим Соколов и Министр строительства и жилищно-коммунального хозяйства РФ Михаил Мень вручили государственные награды за вклад в подготовку и проведение XXII Олимпийских и XI Паралимпийских зимних игр 2014 в городе Сочи". mintrans.gov.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  14. ^ "Прощальный привет от олимпийской стройки: награды вместо денег". ancb.ru. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  15. ^ "12 ноября Министр транспорта РФ Максим Соколов вручил государственные и ведомственные награды работникам транспорта". mintrans.gov.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  16. ^ Drum, Bruce (2022-03-27). "Aeroflot redeploys its international network, will launch flights from Sochi to six countries". World Airline News. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  17. ^ News.rin.ru: Deripaska enters committee on promotion of Sochi for hosting Olympiad. Retrieved on July 7, 2007.
  18. ^ Liu, Jim (27 December 2024). "Air Arabia Adds Sharjah – Sochi Service From June 2025". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Air Serbia reinstates Sochi launch plans". 14 May 2022.
  20. ^ "New air carrier Armenian Airlines operated its first flight". zvartnots.aero. 11 March 2023.
  21. ^ Orban, André (27 December 2024). "Several airlines suspend flights to Russia following suspected downing of Azerbaijan Airlines plane". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Azimuth Schedules New Sochi – Central Asia Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e f "Azimuth Expands Sochi Network in NS24". AeroRoutes. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  24. ^ "The Russian airline "Azimut" has canceled flights to Azerbaijan". turan.az. The news agency Turan. 28 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  25. ^ Клюйко, Виктория (11 December 2024). "Авиарейс Сочи – Нальчик откроется в январе: цена билета, расписание рейсов, длительность перелета". kuban.bfm.ru (in Russian). KUBAN - BFM. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d "Аэропорт Сочи расширяет международную программу". НИА-Кубань. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  27. ^ ""Азимут" начинает полеты в Тбилиси из Сочи и в Батуми из Москвы". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  28. ^ "Direct flights from Sochi Airport to Thailand". AKM EN. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  29. ^ Liu, Jim (27 November 2024). "Azur Air Expands Sharm el Sheikh Charters in NW24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  30. ^ Light, Felix (27 December 2024). "Flydubai suspends flights to two southern Russian airports, carrier says". Reuters. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  31. ^ "FLYONE | Cheap flights from Chisinau".
  32. ^ "iFly Airlines Adds Moscow – Kaliningrad / Sochi 2023/24 Holidays Service". AeroRoutes. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  33. ^ Елина, Анна (9 June 2024). "Авиакомпания iFly Airlines откроет рейсы из Сочи в Санкт-Петербург: дата, расписание, билеты, стоимость, время в пути". kuban.bfm.ru (in Russian). ООО ТРК "АВС". Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  34. ^ "Прямые рейсы в Сочи из Магнитогорска и Сыктывкара запустят в феврале". kub-inform.ru. Кубань Информ. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  35. ^ Кузнецова, Анастасия (9 February 2024). "Ульяновский аэропорт опубликовал расписание прямых рейсов в Сочи". Первый ульяновский портал. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  36. ^ a b Liu, Jim (16 May 2019). "Pobeda schedules new routes from Adler/Sochi and Anapa in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  37. ^ "В Шереметьево празднуют "Победу"". kommersant. 8 February 2021.
  38. ^ "Red Wings Adds Bahrain Service From May 2024". AeroRoutes. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  39. ^ Shatilin, Ilya (24 June 2024). "Red Wings запускает 8 новых направлений из Жуковского — FrequentFlyers.ru" (in Russian). FrequentFlyers.ru. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Aeroflot launches international network from Sochi, Russia". 26 March 2022.
  41. ^ Liu, Jim (3 December 2024). "Aeroflot Adds Rossiya Boeing 747 Sochi Service in 4Q24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  42. ^ "S7 Airlines flight schedule". www.s7.ru. S7 Airlines.
  43. ^ Liu, Jim. "S7 Airlines adds Irkutsk – Adler/Sochi service in S20". Routesonline. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  44. ^ "Now boarding: small-size flights bound for Arkhangelsk backup airport Vaskovo". The Independent Barents Observer. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  45. ^ Liu, Jim (7 April 2017). "Nordavia adds seasonal Sochi – Belgorod service in S17". Routesonline. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  46. ^ Huseynova, Naila (29 December 2024). "Russia cancels some flights to Azerbaijan | Caliber.Az". caliber.az. Informational and analytical website Caliber.az. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  47. ^ ""Уральские авиалинии" открывают полеты из Сочи в Стамбул". Кубань-Информ (in Russian). 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  48. ^ "Новости компании: "Уральские авиалинии" открывают новый рейс Сочи-Ош – авиакомпания "Уральские авиалинии" | "Уральские авиалинии"". www.uralairlines.ru. Ural Airlines. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  49. ^ "Изменения маршрутных сетей за 3–16 апреля". ato.ru. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  50. ^ ""Уральские авиалинии" возобновят рейсы из Сочи в Ереван". РБК (in Russian). 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  51. ^ a b Liu, Jim (31 October 2024). "Ural Airlines Expands Hurghada / Sharm el Sheikh Charters in 4Q24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  52. ^ URSS. "About airport". Базэл Аэро.
  53. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov 10A CCCP-11186 Adler/Sochi Airport (AER)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  54. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin 18V CCCP-75507 Adler/Sochi Airport (AER)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  55. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A320-211 EK32009 Adler/Sochi Airport (AER)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  56. ^ "Russian military plane crashes in Black Sea near Sochi". BBC News. 2016-12-25. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  57. ^ Graham, Chris (25 December 2016). "Russian military plane carrying 92 on board, including famed army band, crashes into Black Sea". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  58. ^ "Russia Examines All Possible Reasons for Black Sea Jet Crash". AP. 25 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016 – via The New York Times.
  59. ^ "Military plane crashes into Black Sea near Sochi". Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  60. ^ "Russian plane crashes into the Black Sea". Fox News. 25 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  61. ^ "Russian air crash: Utair jet catches fire after landing at Sochi". BBC News. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
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