It's no joke, by the end of 2014 the Simferopol International Airport serviced over 2.8 million passengers, which is 2.3 times more than in 2013, and at the end of 2015 - more than 5 million people. Thus, in just 2 years the passenger traffic increased by 4 times, and approached its highest figure yet the Soviet period - 5.2 million people.

We cooperate with all the airlines and don’t deny anyone. Slots are available on request for everybody, given the bandwidth capabilities the Simferopol airport. According to our forecasts, in 2016 we expect an increase in passenger traffic of about 10% compared to last year, but at the same time we are ready to serve more passengers. I think that the figure of six million passengers by the end of the year is quite achievable, "- said the CEO of the Simferopol airport Yevgeny Plaksin.

Strange as it may sound, but in many ways, such high rates of growth of passenger traffic in the Crimea airport initiated by the actions of the Ukrainian leadership which hasn’t found anything better than to issue the transport blockade of the peninsula, blocking the movement of the road and rail transport coming from Russia. Thus, the only way to get to the Crimean territory for the citizens of our countries are air transport and road connections across the Kerch ferry. And as long as the bridge to the peninsula is being built and many kilometres of constant traffic jams on the ferry, the aviation remains a major transport route between the mainland and the "island" of the Crimea.

A little bit of history

Simferopol was once one the largest airport complexes in the south of the USSR. This year, it turned 80. 21 January 1936 the Council of People's Commissars of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic decided to the land acquisition and the beginning of the Simferopol airport construction followed by the opening of the route Simferopol-Moscow from May, 1936. The terminal building was put into operation in 1957, lighting equipment was installed on the ground runway, entered in service Il-12 and Il-14, Mi-4. Construction of the concrete runway, apron and parking was completed in 1960 and the airport began accepting the aircrafts around the clock. In later years the airport accepted all types of civil aircrafts, up to the jumbo-sized Il-86. In the late 1980s the airfield was even prepared as a Western alternate airfield for Buran spacecraft landing.

However, the political changes in the early 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the lack of public support from the Ukraine led to the decay of the airport. Almost all of the objects of the airport complex infrastructure have been brought to a critical condition or have become worthless. In early 2000s, the old runway (the size of 2700 × 45 m, PCN 22 / R / B / X / T, the maximum weight of the aircraft 98 tons) was decommissioned due to its insufficient length and strength, since then it was used as a taxi lane D 2100 m in length (the remaining 600 meters are unsuitable for taxiing). This deplorable state of the airport has led to essential decrease in passenger traffic. The airport was preparing to shut down. Nevertheless, the airport workers managed maintain it. The second runway bigger and stronger (dimensions 3701h60 m, PCN 53 / R / B / X / T), was able to receive a wide range of aircrafts. Nevertheless, in 2014 its resource came to an end - the acceptance of the aircrafts was held with significant limitations of take-off weight.

Its chance to restore the airport received at the beginning of 2014, after the airspace of the Republic of Crimea came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, and the Simferopol airport was included in the register of Russian aviation objects. Airport was assigned a URFF code. To restore Simferopol the Russian Government urgently created two Federal target programs «Development of the Airport Complex of Simferopol in the Republic of Crimea» and «Ensuring the Protection Objects of the Simferopol Airport Complex From Unlawful Acts in Its Activities, the Republic of Crimea».

In early June 2014, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the  opening of Simferopol airport for international flights. 3 July 2014 the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation said that the outcome of negotiations with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was to ensure air navigation services of the Russian Federation airspace over the Crimea and territorial waters in the 12-mile zone.

Airport complex

Class A airport’s airfield is able to receive all types of aircrafts and helicopters. A characteristic feature of the Simferopol airport is significantly remote from the terminal, not typically long and wide runway. This determines long taxiing of aircrafts - about 12 -15 minutes.

May 9, 2015 the two terminals were opened at the airport: after four months of reconstruction opened the Terminal B and the new Terminal A began servicing the passengers. Also in summer 2015 was completed the reconstruction and construction of the international sector, two waiting rooms and flight gates, additional business lounges and a large hall for arrival, where were  installed six baggage conveyor lines and other equipment. Now, at the Simferopol airport there are 3 terminals: the old terminal, the terminal A with the arrival and departure areas and the terminal B, where passengers depart. Waiting and leisure areas, restaurants, shops, souvenir products, machines for baggage wrapping, help desk, call a taxi points, car rentals, travel agencies and offices etc are located in all terminals.

Most of the station square is consisted of paid parking. At the moment, the station square runs through a major reconstruction, including an increase of the area and the transfer of the bus station. The airport has a direct trolleybus from Simferopol (railway station, bus station "Resort"). Airport is linked with Alushta, Yalta and located between the resorts (Gurzuf, Partenit, etc.) by intercity trolleybus routes, as well as route taxis. Route №55 Simferopol - Yalta, recovered in 25 April 2014, known as the longest trolleybus route in the world. Sevastopol bus station connects Simferopol airport by direct bus route. In 2015, running non-stop Aeroexpress (branded high-speed trolleybuses and buses) will be put into operation from the airport to the railway station of Simferopol.

«The large-scale work on the reconstruction of the station square is currently underway. This will greatly facilitate the accessibility of the passengers to the Simferopol airport. In terms of reconstruction it is planned to build a new public transport stop. Special places to accommodate buses that work with organised groups of tourists, with large tour operators.We envisage a separate locations for the placement of transport for people with disabilities. Building part on artificial surfaces the station square we plan to complete by the May 1 of this year "- says Yevgeny Plaksin.

Air navigation services

The building of the ATM centre in Simferopol was constructed 9 years ago. The main objective of the centre and its services is ensuring safety and regularity of aircrafts within the district centre and ADC zone. In April 2014 for the organisation of air traffic services in the airspace of the FIR Simferopol (the Republic of Crimea) branch Krymaeronavigatsiya Federal State Unitary Enterprise State ATM Corporation was created. The liability area of the branch includes the airspace of about 163,496 square kilometres over the Crimean Peninsula and the Black and Azov Seas. The branch provides a public service for Navigation Services of Russian and foreign users of the Russian airspace. The company employs 726 people.

Since 2014 have been implemented schemes of arrival and departure based on the schemes precision area navigation according to ICAO RNAV 1 (P-RNAV) navigation specification. In Simferopol RC there was introduced a single norm of measuring the aircraft altitude in feet and the use of reduced minimum of vertical airborne separation of the aircraft movements (RVSM), which allowed to significantly increase the bandwidth on the ATS routes. ATS procedures in Simferopol RC were supplemented by visual manoeuvring procedures when flying by instrument flight rules.

The structure of the branch Krymaeronavigatsiya includes the Sevastopol branch of the ATS. Implemented radio engineering is ensuring flights of aircrafts and aeronautical telecommunications to the ATM in the Simferopol RC and on the ground Simferopol and Sevastopol (Belbek). The ATM Centre security work is provided by 2 uninterruptible power supplies. Electricity supply is provided by the centre in the first category of special groups, meaning 2 independent entry and autonomous power supply - diesel generator.

The main elements of the dispatching equipment - automated ATC system Galaxy made by Azimuth, a set of tools of planning and the use of the airspace of the RA Institute (St. Petersburg) and the system switching and voice communications Kamerton, and also the records of negotiations, manufactured in Zelenograd. It was purchased in 2014 - 2015.

«In 2014 - 2015`using the funds of the State ATM Corporation was financed the work on installing a new equipment complex. The most part - a set of automation tools ATC Galaxy, which is installed in Simferopol, in the Belbek airport in Sevastopol. And not only the Galaxy itself. In order to make it work, you need a message switching centre, the equipment for documentation and reproduction of information, automated means of communication, voice communication system and so on. This is a whole complex. For this complex was spent 686.806 million rubles. Galaxy system was installed here since 2014. Before that it was installed in Kazan. Ready to said for Kazan and Simferopol: there have been no system failures since 2014. The system works reliably. Regarding the total amount for the modernisation by the Federal Program it cost 2.6 billion rubles for the period from 2014 to 2020», - said the head of Krymaeronavigatsiya Igor Suvorov.

Centre’s locators ensure a dual coverage of secondary radar . They allow to see at a depth of 50 km in the direction of Turkey. The management of Krymaeronavigatsiya emphasised that the company can provide all flights of all aircrafts in the airspace, which it controls.

Development of the airport

In the development of the Simferopol airport has already been invested more than 2 billion rubles of its own funds. The funds are: the expansion of the airport terminal complex equipped with the necessary technological equipment, purchase of specialised equipment, recruitment, training and staff training, the formulation of the necessary documentation, upgrade existing communication networks and equipment, as well as a complex of works, which are on the station square.

Reconstruction of the airport complex continues. Upon its completion, the airport complex will be included in the ten largest airports in eastern Europe, with its modern equipment, both to ensure the take-off and landing operations, and for passenger service.

March 31, 2016, in preparation of the airport for the summer season, the air harbour visited the head of Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko. He checked the readiness of Air Transport of the Republic of Crimea to tourist season, and told the journalists about the preparation of the airport to the "high" season of the federal air transport subsidy programs in the Crimea and the Simferopol ATC centre in high-intensity missions.

The head of Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko

"During the last months the extensive work to prepare for the new season of intense traffic of tourists was held at the airport. At the same time was made the work for the global construction and reconstruction. This year will begin the reconstruction of the runway and the construction of a new terminal building, designed for 7 million passengers a year. In March of 2016 a positive verdict from the Main State Expert Review Board on the construction of the airport terminal complex and the technical part of the reconstruction of the runway and technical means of protection was received. In mid-April it is planned to receive the positive verdict from the Main State Expert Review Board on the budget part of the project in terms of the reconstruction of the runway, "- told reporters the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency.

Reconstruction will take place within two years. By 2018  to the season of intensive flights (it's April, beginning of May), the airport plans to open the gates of a new airport terminal complex. «Major funding will be attracted through banking industry operating in the Republic of Crimea. The cost of the new terminal complex will be about 30 billion rubles. As part of the investment - a station square, the access roads. In fact, for this money provided for the construction of an entirely new airport complex, located on 45 hectares», - says Eugene Plaksin.

In addition, within the framework of the Federal Target Program the project is created for the restoration of the runway №1, which hasn’t been used since the early 2000s. Its elongation at 500 meters is considered. Now its length is 2700 meters, and in fact only 1.100 meters are used as a taxi strip. In 2018 it will be a two-runway airport. Within the framework of the Federal Program "Development of the Republic of Crimea," about 13 billion rubles are invested.

CEO of the Simferopol airport Yevgeny Plaksin 

«We are currently conducting a rather large-scale projects. A number of activities has already been completed. This is the expansion of the capacity the airport terminal complex. We have already installed and commissioned additional capacity, equipped new boarding waiting rooms, arrival hall, additional boarding gates», - says Eugene Plaksin.

Great work has been done on the recruitment, training, staff training, on the means to ensure the clothing and essential household labor conditions. Purchased additional units of special equipment, tools of apron mechanisation. Much attention was paid to the issues of aviation and transport security. For two years the Simferopol airport directly and indirectly invested more than 500 million rubles. Purchased the necessary inspection equipment, Stationary metal detectors, hand-held metal detectors. Police Dog Service service was developed actively .

Another project of the Simferopol airport authorities will be Belbek the Sevastopol airport. "For a long time there was a discussion of how to develop the civil sector of the Belbek airport.  Of course, Sevastopol would like have the airport near the city, furthermore there is every possibility. Currently we elected the most rational way - to transform the civil sector of Belbek to the branch of Simferopol International Airport, - said Alexander Neradko.

There is still to develop the project documentation for the reconstruction of the airport, to bring it to the requirements of civil aviation, as this a joint deployment airport, such airports should meet the requirements of the civil aviation airfields.

"The actual development of regular communication requires carefully detailed analysis. To do this it is necessary to build a terminal, to ensure the proper level of aviation and transport security, the proper level of emergency life-saving equipment. We proceed from economic considerations. About the timing - everything depends on the implementation of the Federal Target Program, which is also spelled out in the framework of the Government Decree. For this purpose the funds are included about 1.7 billion rubles. Accordingly after adjusting the funds, after the implementation of the design we will perform the necessary scope of work and submit the documents for the certification of the civil sector of Belbek airport», - also said Eugene Plaksin.

Also the increase in passenger traffic contributes to the realisation of at least two Federal Passenger Subsidy Programs. The first program is in accordance with the RF Government Decree № 388: Transportation in Simferopol. This year, the number of directions is increased to 58. In the budget just for this program is provided 611 million rubles. And the program will be expanded. If earlier it was implemented in a period of five months, this year it will begin one month earlier - on May 1 and will end one month later - on November 30. Instead of five months it will work for seven months. It is very important that the program this year will be focused on the most needy sections of the population. Earlier the ticket of program of subsidised tariff could buy anyone, than this year the tickets can be bought by:

• young people under 23 years old;
• women over 55 years and men over 60 years (meaning those who have retired);
• people with disabilities in Group I and their attendants.

It is very important that the airport is prepared to accept disabled passengers. All terminals without exception are equipped, allowing this category of passengers feel comfortable. 

The second program: Subsidising Traffic From the Far East and Back.

According to this program the traffic began on April 1. This year 3 billion 250 million rubles are invested in the program. It will have the direction to Simferopol. In particular, the route Yakutsk - Simferopol. The tickets are already on sale. This program is prepared for the same categories of people.

At the end of 2015 the Simferopol airport was awarded the national prize Air Gates of Russia and became the winner of  Wings of Russia award.

author's photo