The owners of Vladivostok airport, which is being constructed, are looking for possibilities of increasing its passenger traffic, RBC Daily reports. The airport’s administration and the regional authorities have addressed the government with a request to introduce the principle of “open sky”, i.e. remove restrictions to access of foreign carriers.
As reported by the representatives of Vladivostok airport shareholders, Mikhail Vasilenko (CEO of Sheremetyevo airport, who is managing 52,1% of Vladivostok airport shares), Konstantin Basyuk (the owner of 16% of Vladivostok airport shares) and the airport’s administration have proposed making the airport open to any airlines, thus limiting the validity of intergovernmental agreements at its territory. According to Konstantin Basyuk, the local carriers can hardly fill the terminal intended for servicing 5 million passengers a year without attraction of foreign connecting passengers. Following the results of last year, the airport’s passenger traffic was around 1,5 million passengers.
The proposal of making the Vladivostok airport a transit hub is also included in a report made by Lufthansa Consulting, Mikhail Vasilenko notes. According to him, it is noted in the report, that Khabarovsk should become a Russian regional hub, unifying part of China and Asia, due to its location. According to a source, familiar with the project, the problem of attracting additional passenger traffic has been discussed during meeting of regional administration with Dmitry Medvedev. «The documents have been prepared by the airport’s administration and presented for government’s consideration», — the source notes.
As noted by the official representative of the Ministry of Transport, at present it has not been planned to do away with intergovernmental agreements in regard to Vladivostok airport. However, the problem of increasing the number of carriers between Vladivostok and China will be considered in the end of July by Russia-China transport subcommittee.
It is quite possible that the authorities will decide to shuffle off the burden of increasing the passenger traffic on the private business. The possibility of attracting a private managing company to the Vladivostok airport has been discussed earlier, moreover, the possibility of selling 52% of state-owned airport shares is being considered now. According to CEO of Sheremetyevo, Mikhail Vasilenko, “we want to sell the shares – the more the better”.
The proposal of making the Vladivostok airport a transit hub is also included in a report made by Lufthansa Consulting, Mikhail Vasilenko notes. According to him, it is noted in the report, that Khabarovsk should become a Russian regional hub, unifying part of China and Asia, due to its location. According to a source, familiar with the project, the problem of attracting additional passenger traffic has been discussed during meeting of regional administration with Dmitry Medvedev. «The documents have been prepared by the airport’s administration and presented for government’s consideration», — the source notes.
As noted by the official representative of the Ministry of Transport, at present it has not been planned to do away with intergovernmental agreements in regard to Vladivostok airport. However, the problem of increasing the number of carriers between Vladivostok and China will be considered in the end of July by Russia-China transport subcommittee.
It is quite possible that the authorities will decide to shuffle off the burden of increasing the passenger traffic on the private business. The possibility of attracting a private managing company to the Vladivostok airport has been discussed earlier, moreover, the possibility of selling 52% of state-owned airport shares is being considered now. According to CEO of Sheremetyevo, Mikhail Vasilenko, “we want to sell the shares – the more the better”.