MOSCOW, March 19The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation believes that it is too early to introduce an «open skies» regime at Sochi airport — this could negatively affect the transport accessibility of this destination for Russians, the department's press service said.
Sochi International Airport asked the Ministry of Transport to introduce a partial regime » Open Skies» to develop transfer services to third countries and increase incoming tourist flows from foreign countries, the press service of the air harbor reported.
«Sochi Airport actually requested “open skies” and the fifth freedom of air with restrictions. This is an important element for the development of transfer traffic through the airport Sochi to third countries, as well as one of the tools for developing inbound tourism and attracting foreign citizens to the resort capital of Russia and the entire Black Sea coast,” said the agency’s interlocutor.
She explained that such a decision will give foreign companies the opportunity to fly through Sochi airport to third countries, among which priority is given to states friendly to Russia — the CIS, the Middle East, Asia, Africa.
«The introduction of the «open skies» regime may have a negative impact on the transport accessibility of this direction for Russian citizens, and therefore we consider consideration of this issue premature,” commented a representative of the Ministry of Transport.
Despite the importance of developing air communications with foreign countries, the absolute priority is the development of domestic tourism, he emphasized. “Sochi Airport is a major hub in the south of Russia, essentially ensuring the reception of all passengers for whom southern destinations are in demand,” concluded the representative of the ministry.
Sochi International Airport named after V.I. Sevastyanova was founded in 1945. The air harbor is managed by Aerodinamika, the operator of Kuban airports in Russia. Since 2022, it has been serving as the main southern international air hub of Russia.
Currently, Sochi Airport operates flights to 14 countries in 19 destinations: Turkey (Istanbul, Antalya), Armenia (Yerevan), Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Namangan, Samarkand, Fergana), UAE (Dubai), Israel (Tel Aviv), Egypt (Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada), Georgia (Tbilisi), Azerbaijan (Baku), Serbia (Belgrade), Tajikistan (Dushanbe), Belarus (Minsk) , Kazakhstan (Almaty), Thailand (Phuket), Kyrgyzstan (Osh). By the summer season, it is planned to launch direct flights to Bishkek and Aktau.