The reconstruction of the air port of the capital of Dagestan became known in 2022 and all documents were approved by Glavgosexpertiza in May this year, but work has only started now.
Since February 2022, there has been a rapid reorientation of flights from the Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov region to the airports of the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District. For security reasons, 11 airports were closed, including Krasnodar, Gelendzhik, Anapa and Rostov-on-Don. As a result, all passenger air traffic was concentrated in Sochi, Minvody, Vladikavkaz, Grozny and Makhachkala. An unprecedented influx of tourists compared to previous years also played a decisive role. For example, in Minvody the volume of air traffic increased by 25 percent and by the end of 2022 it amounted to a record four million passengers. And at Grozny’s Severny International Airport, passenger traffic increased by 1.5 times.
Today, all passenger traffic is concentrated in Sochi, Minvody, Vladikavkaz, Grozny, Makhachkala. The unprecedented influx of tourists also played a decisive role
Last year Makhachkala airport also set a new record. For the first time it received 2.5 million passengers. In August of this year alone, compared to the same period in 2022, passenger traffic increased by nine percent and the air port served 2.5 thousand aircraft.
The current capacity of the airport can no longer cope with rapid growth indicators and there is an urgent need for its major reconstruction. On November 30, 2022, by order of the Russian government, 13.2 billion rubles were allocated for the modernization of the Makhachkala air port within the framework of the state program “Development of the transport system”.
In addition to expanding and increasing the length of the runway, which will allow it to accommodate almost all types of civil aircraft, the airport will also have 20 additional aircraft parking stands, new taxiways, a modern apron and other infrastructure.
“The construction of a new runway will not affect the airport’s workflow,” commented the airport’s press service. – The new runway will be built without interruption or suspension of the aerodrome’s flight operations. The reconstruction of infrastructure will not only increase the number of takeoff and landing operations and passenger traffic, but will also expand the route network of Makhachkala Airport.
At the same time, the “old” runway, which is currently in use, will operate without flight restrictions, the Federal Institution “Rostransmodernization” assured. At the same time, the company clarified that in the future the project provides for the possibility of its subsequent operation as a main taxiway.
“In addition, it is planned to build a site for the treatment of aircraft with antifreeze liquid, buildings for the main rescue and launch stations, radio technical support facilities for flights, a checkpoint, a patrol road, a perimeter fence, transformer substations and treatment facilities,” said the Federal Institution “Rostransmodernization”. All work is planned to be completed in 2025.
It should be noted that the reconstruction of airports or runways is currently being carried out in all air ports of the North Caucasus.
Thus, at Minvod airport, the construction of a new terminal began in May 2023. Its construction should completely solve the problem of port air congestion. After modernization, passenger traffic here will be a thousand people per hour, or 3.8 million per year. The scope of work includes not only the construction of a new terminal building, but also the laying of engineering and communication networks, as well as the improvement of the station area. The new national air terminal will be equipped with five telescopic bridges, modern passenger service and baggage handling systems. The total cost of construction will be about 14 billion rubles. All work is planned to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
In the capital of Chechnya, construction of the international terminal “Grozny Airport” has also begun. It will be made in the shape of a half moon. The new air port will ensure an annual passenger flow to Chechnya of approximately 1.5 million people. The construction of the runway is scheduled to be completed by December 1, 2024, and the new airport complex with all other infrastructure facilities by August 2025. The new apron will provide parking for 24 aircraft.
And in North Ossetia, a new terminal for domestic airlines at the Vladikavkaz international airport has already been put into operation. It is equipped with a boarding bridge, elevators and escalators, high-tech systems for baggage handling, security and microclimate maintenance. Passengers are provided with comfortable waiting rooms with a cafeteria, business lounge, mother and child room and first aid station. The terminal’s capacity is 1.5 million passengers per year.
The project started in December 2020 and its cost was 2.2 billion rubles. Financing is provided by a private investor on preferential loan terms.
By the way
The most popular domestic destinations from Makhachkala Airport over the past month have been Moscow, St. Petersburg, Surgut, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk. Of the international lines, the most requested are Istanbul, Antalya, Dubai, Baku and Tel Aviv, according to what the airport’s press service informed RG.
