Sochi International Airport

Sochi International Airport (Russian: Международный Аэропорт Сочи; IATA: AER, ICAO: URSS) is an 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 039°57′24″E
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
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
The old building of the Sochi airport
Check-in area

1941–1991

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

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. "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.[5]

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.[6] It was further upgraded to meet the requirements of the International Olympic Committee as the gateway of the 22nd Olympic Winter Games.

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%.[7]

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,[8] 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.[9]

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.

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.[10]

Infrastructure

Runways

Sochi International Airport has two artificial 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. 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

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. 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). Deripaska is also a member of the committee organizing Sochi's bid for the Winter Olympics.[11]

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

Airlines and destinations

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

AirlinesDestinations
Aeroflot Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Sharm El Sheikh[12]
Seasonal: Dubai–Al Maktoum[13]
Air Serbia Belgrade[14]
Armenia Airways Yerevan[15]
Armenian Airlines Yerevan[16]
Azimuth Almaty (begins 1 November 2023),[17] Antalya, Baku, Dubai–International, Istanbul, Kaluga, Mineralnye Vody, Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Samarqand (begins 31 October 2023),[17] Saransk,[18] Sharm El Sheikh, Tel Aviv, Tbilisi,[19] Yaroslavl, Yerevan
Azur Air Seasonal charter: Phuket[20]
Belavia Minsk
Fly Arna Yerevan[21]
flydubai Dubai–International[22]
FlyOne Yerevan[23]
Ikar Yekaterinburg, Yerevan[24]
IrAero Saratov,[25] Yerevan
Seasonal: Barnaul,[26] Irkutsk, Moscow–Zhukovsky,[27] Omsk,[28] Penza[27]
Izhavia Moscow–Domodedovo[29]
Seasonal: Belgorod, Izhevsk, Kazan, Kirov, Nizhnekamsk, Penza
Mahan Air Seasonal: Tehran–Imam Khomeini
NordStar Moscow–Domodedovo
Seasonal: Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo, Norilsk
Nordwind Airlines Baku, Doha, Magnitogorsk,[30] Ufa
Seasonal: Saratov[31]
Pobeda Gyumri (begins 29 October 2023),[32] Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[33] Moscow–Vnukovo, Ufa
Seasonal: Belgorod, Cheboksary, Chelyabinsk,[34] Kazan, Kirov,[34] Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo,[35] Magnitogorsk,[34] Nizhnekamsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk,[34] Perm, Samara, Tyumen,[34] Ulyanovsk–Baratayevka,[34] Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Yaroslavl, Yekaterinburg
Red Wings Airlines Antalya, Makhachkala, Moscow–Domodedovo, Tbilisi, Tel Aviv, Vladikavkaz, Yerevan
Rossiya Airlines Antalya, Dalaman,[36][37] Istanbul,[37] Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Saint Petersburg, Yerevan[37]
Seasonal: Hurghada,[38] Sharm El Sheikh[38]
RusLine Seasonal: Makhachkala, Mineralnye Vody,[39] Moscow–Domodedovo, Saransk,[40] Saratov,[40] Tambov,[39] Ulyanovsk–Baratayevka
S7 Airlines[41] Irkutsk,[42] Moscow–Domodedovo, Novosibirsk
SCAT Airlines Astana[43]
Seasonal: Aqtau[44]
Severstal Air Company Petrozavodsk[45]
Seasonal: Cherepovets, Kirovsk/Apatity[45]
Shirak Avia Yerevan[46]
Smartavia Seasonal: Arkhangelsk–Talagi (resumes 1 December 2023),[47] Belgorod,[48] Chelyabinsk,[48] Ivanovo,[49] Murmansk, Nizhny Novgorod,[48] Omsk,[48] Syktyvkar, Tel Aviv,[50] Ufa
Somon Air Dushanbe,[51] Khujand
Ural Airlines Chelyabinsk, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow–Domodedovo, Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[52] Osh,[53] Samara,[54] Tashkent, Tel Aviv,[55] Yekaterinburg, Yerevan
Seasonal: Kaliningrad,[56] Moscow–Zhukovsky,[57] Nizhny Novgorod[58]
Utair Astrakhan,[59] Moscow–Vnukovo, Volgograd[60]
Seasonal: Nizhnevartovsk, Noyabrsk, Surgut, Syktyvkar, Tambov, Tyumen
UVT Aero Bugulma,[61] Kazan, Surgut[61]
Seasonal: Ufa
Uzbekistan Airways Tashkent
Yakutia AirlinesSeasonal: Yakutsk
Yamal Airlines Seasonal: Kurgan, Perm, Tyumen

Statistics

Annual traffic
Annual passenger traffic at AER airport. See Wikidata query.
Annual Passenger Traffic[62]
Year Passengers  % Change
20101,920,000Steady
20112,086,000Increase 8.6%
20122,120,400Increase 1.6%
20132,427,676Increase 14.5%
20143,106,100Increase 28%
20154,100,000Increase 32%
20165,263,275Increase 28%
20175,700,000Increase 8%
2018 6,343,000 Increase 11.3%
2019 6,772,062 Increase 6.8%
2020 6,519,554 Decrease 4%

Incidents and accidents
  • On 28 July 1962, Aeroflot Flight 415, an Antonov An-10 crashed into the mountains near Sochi Airport, killing all 81 people aboard.[63]
  • 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.[64]
  • 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.[65]
  • 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.[66][67][68][69][70]
  • 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.[71]

See also

References
  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. Аэропорт Сочи продан с аукциона// RIA Novosti
  6. Behind the scenes as Sochi Airport warms up for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games//airport-technology.com
  7. Deripaska, Sberbank, Changi Set $820 Mln Airport JV // RIA Novosti
  8. До конца лета в аэропорту Сочи будут работать все 10 телетрапов// Vesti
  9. В аэропорту Сочи открыт VIP-терминал // Russia 24 TV
  10. 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.
  11. News.rin.ru: Deripaska enters committee on promotion of Sochi for hosting Olympiad. Retrieved on July 7, 2007.
  12. "AEROFLOT ADDS SOCHI – SHARM EL SHEIKH SERVICE IN NW22". aeroroutes.com. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  13. Liu, Jim (17 October 2022). "Aeroflot Adds Sochi – Dubal al Maktoum Service From late-Oct 2022". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  14. "Air Serbia reinstates Sochi launch plans". 14 May 2022.
  15. "Armenia Airways Adds Sochi Service From late-Sep 2023". AeroRoutes. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  16. "New air carrier Armenian Airlines operated its first flight". zvartnots.aero. 11 March 2023.
  17. "Azimuth Schedules New Sochi – Central Asia Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  18. "Авиакомпания "АЗИМУТ" с 25 сентября 2023г. начинает полеты по маршруту Сочи-Саранск-Сочи по понедельникам!". Международный аэропорт Саранск. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  19. "«Азимут» начинает полеты в Тбилиси из Сочи и в Батуми из Москвы". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  20. "Direct flights from Sochi Airport to Thailand". AKM EN. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  21. "Fly Arna announces direct flight to Sochi".
  22. "Flydubai to launch direct flights to Russia's Sochi". Gulf Business. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  23. "FLYONE | Cheap flights from Chisinau".
  24. http://gdca.am/storage/projects/projects_5800921334_S19_16MAY_TO_30_JUN_2019.doc
  25. "Озвучены графики вылетов из саратовского аэропорта в Сочи и Симферополь". Region 64. 25 October 2019.
  26. Liu, Jim (7 April 2017). "IrAero new domestic routes in S17". Routesonline. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  27. Liu, Jim. "IrAero schedules new routes from Adler/Sochi in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  28. Liu, Jim (25 January 2017). "IrAero adds new summer routes from Omsk in June 2017". Routesonline. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  29. "Izhavia schedules new Moscow routes from late-Dec 2020".
  30. Liu, Jim. "Nordwind adds Manitogorsk service from late-June 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  31. Liu, Jim. "Nordwind adds Sochi – Saratov service from late-July 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  32. "Pobeda Oct 2023 International Network Additions". AeroRoutes. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  33. "В Шереметьево празднуют "Победу"". kommersant. 8 February 2021.
  34. Liu, Jim (16 May 2019). "Pobeda schedules new routes from Adler/Sochi and Anapa in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  35. Liu, Jim. "Pobeda adds Adler/Sochi – Krasnoyarsk service from late-Dec 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  36. "Aeroflot launches international network from Sochi, Russia". 26 March 2022.
  37. "Aeroflot launches international network from Sochi, Russia". 26 March 2022.
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  39. "RusLine S17 domestic Russia routes addition".
  40. Liu, Jim (17 May 2019). "RusLine expands Adler/Sochi network in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
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  42. Liu, Jim. "S7 Airlines adds Irkutsk – Adler/Sochi service in S20". Routesonline. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  43. Liu, Jim (3 April 2018). "SCAT opens additional Astana – Russia routes in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  44. Liu, Jim (28 February 2018). "SCAT adds seasonal Astana – Sochi from June 2018". Routesonline. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  45. Liu, Jim (17 May 2019). "Severstal Aircompany expands Kirovsk / Petrozavodsk network in S19". Routesonline. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  46. "Shirak Avia June 2023 Russian Network Additions". AeroRoutes. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  47. "Now boarding: small-size flights bound for Arkhangelsk backup airport Vaskovo". The Independent Barents Observer. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  48. Liu, Jim (7 April 2017). "Nordavia adds seasonal Sochi – Belgorod service in S17". Routesonline. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  49. Регулярные рейсы в Сочи!. ivanovo.aero (in Russian). Аэропорт "Иваново". Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  50. http://izrus.co.il/dvuhstoronka/article/2015-07-28/28381.html (in Russian)
  51. "Somon air launches new air routes to Russia". Media group "ASIA-Plus". Asia-Plus. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  52. Ural Airlines begin service to Moscow from March 2018
  53. "Новости компании: "Уральские авиалинии" открывают новый рейс Сочи-Ош – авиакомпания "Уральские авиалинии" | "Уральские авиалинии"". www.uralairlines.ru. Ural Airlines. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  54. "Изменения маршрутных сетей за 3–16 апреля". ato.ru. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  55. Ural Airlines takes off for Tel Aviv from Sochi/Adler
  56. Liu, Jim. "Ural Airlines plans to expand Kaliningrad service in S20". Routesonline. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  57. "schedule". uralairlines.com. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  58. ""Уральские авиалинии" включили рейс Нижний Новгород-Сочи в зимнее расписание". Interfax. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  59. "Utair утвердил расписание новых рейсов на юге России". www.utair.ru. Utair. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  60. Liu, Jim (13 April 2018). "UTair expands Volgograd service from May 2018". Routesonline. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  61. "От Черного моря до Сибири". UVT Aero. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  62. URSS. "About airport". Базэл Аэро.
  63. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov 10A CCCP-11186 Adler/Sochi Airport (AER)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  64. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin 18V CCCP-75507 Adler/Sochi Airport (AER)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  65. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A320-211 EK32009 Adler/Sochi Airport (AER)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  66. "Russian military plane crashes in Black Sea near Sochi". BBC News. 2016-12-25. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  67. 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.
  68. "Russia Examines All Possible Reasons for Black Sea Jet Crash". AP. 25 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016 – via The New York Times.
  69. "Military plane crashes into Black Sea near Sochi". Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  70. "Russian plane crashes into the Black Sea". Fox News. 25 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  71. "Russian air crash: Utair jet catches fire after landing at Sochi". BBC News. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2018-09-01.

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