Kazan International Airport intends resuming international flights with Turkmenistan in 2022, Interfax reports with reference to the airport's CEO Sergey Romantsov.
"Since the beginning of the summer navigation season, foreign partner companies are expected to return to their former destinations, such as Smartwings, airBaltic, AZAL (Azerbaijan Airlines), Turkmenistan Airlines with the flight frequency at the pre-pandemic level. Also, negotiations are underway with one of the Western airlines — they are in the final stage - on opening a new destination for flights to Germany," Romantsov said at the Board of the Tatarstan Ministry of Transport in Kazan on Tuesday.
Kazan International Airport served 3 million 876 thousand passengers in 2021, which is 11.7% more than in pre-pandemic 2019, when 3 million 470 thousand people were transported. In 2022, Kazan International Airport predicts passenger traffic growth by 8% compared to 2021 - up to more than 4 million people.
Last year, the destination network of Kazan Airport included 73 trade lanes, including 30 international ones.
The airport was built in 1979, incorporated in 1998, controlled by the Government of Tatarstan. In preparation for the Universiade 2013, a new passenger terminal was built and the existing one was upgraded at the airport. Both terminals have the most modern equipment. An aero express train was launched from the airport to Kazan that can reach the city center in 20 minutes. A new runway was also commissioned, capable of receiving the world's largest aircraft up to A380 airbuses.
Let us remind that regular flights between Turkmenistan and Russia were suspended in March 2020 due to a global pandemic. Turkmenistan Airlines operated regular flights to Moscow (Domodedovo), St. Petersburg (Pulkovo) and Kazan.