The construction scheme of new airport in Saratov, Russia’s Volga region, was confirmed on Monday, February, 27. The new airport will be built outside the city limits next to Saburovka village and will become the successor to the existing airport which development is limited.
The corresponding agreement was signed by the Federal Air Transport Agency and Saraero-Invest company, a part Airports of Regions of Renova group.
The agreement concerns the first construction stage. The project of the new airport construction consists of three parts: federal, investor and regional.
The federal funds will be spent to build the airfield with the corresponding infrastructure, the region will invest in construction of external communications and road infrastructure and the private investor Saraero-Invest in turn will finance the construction of the airport terminal 23 thousand square meters in area and capable to serve one million passengers per year. The investor is also entrusted to build administrative and technical buildings, special vehicles and taxi parking lots, refueling point and other objects.
The construction permit is expected to be received in April, 2017, the preparatory works will begin at the same time. Construction and installation works as well as testing and commissioning is planned to be finished in the beginning of December, 2018. Putting the new airport into operation will take place on December, 31 2018, the flights will commence on March, 1 2019. The Airports of Regions told Kommersant daily in the end of last year that only the passenger terminal will be built by 2019 while the supporting infrastructure objects will be ready later during the second stage of construction.
Initially the airport was to be commissioned as early as in 2017. The Federal Air Transport Agency has already started to implement its part of the project. In particular the new radar facility was put into operation last year and the landing strip was extended from 2700 to 3000 meters. The new apron was also completed and 13 light towers were installed. Substantial rise in price because of ruble devaluation was the reason for the delay which made Airports of Regions offer the federal government to conclude a concession agreement. The managing company is now choosing the contractor which will deal with terminal construction.
The foundation stone ceremony preceding the construction of the new airport took place in October, 2012. The airport will receive the same name as the existing one – Saratov Tsentralny. The new airport is required because the existing one is situated in the city limits and has no room for development.
Airports of Regions manages four active Russia’s air hubs – in Yekaterinburg (Koltsovo), Samara (Kurumoch), Nizhny Novgorod (Strigino) and Rostov-on-Don (this city will soon receive a new airport named Platov which will substitute the existing airport). (Source: Russian Aviation Insider)
