Gagarin international airport (part of the Airports of Regions holding) is celebrating the first full year of its operations. On 20 Aug 2019 the new Saratov airport provided its services for first regular passenger flights.
During the past year Gagarin airport has received and launched 5,000 aircrafts, handling 440 tonnes of freight and nearly 3,000 tonnes of baggage. Since 20 Aug 2019 till 20 Aug 2020 the passenger traffic exceeded 540 thou people.
In 2020 five airlines – Aeroflot, Pobeda, Nordwind, S7 and UTair – have operated regular flights to five destinations: Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Sochi, Simferopol and Surgut.
The new air hub Gagarin in the city of Saratov was built as part of a public-private partnership with Russian Ministry of Transport, Federal Air Transport Agency, Saratov Region’s government and Airports of Regions Management Company involved.
Creating airport infrastructural facilities “from scratch”, founding a new airport operator (SarAero-Invest, JSC) in charge of purchasing all machinery, equipment and specialized vehicles necessary for operational activities as well as forming the new company’s payroll constitute a distinctive feature of the Gagarin airport construction project.
On its first birthday passengers of Gagarin airport are welcomed by the festively adorned terminal while arriving aircrafts are hailed with a water arch. In the entrance lobby of the ground floor passengers may leave their congratulations and wishes for the airport; these are read all day long from the traffic control room via PA system between flight announcements. Furthermore, the airport’s festive events are broadcast in the live air, and music can be heard everywhere. Departing flyers are handed out special tallies for hand luggage and festive stickers are attached to the suitcases of arriving passengers. A virtual tour of the airport’s thematic exposition is organized for all interested visitors, whereas a large 35-meter display is used to communicate passenger photos and congratulations from social networks.
