Vladivostok Airport to adopt open skies in June

Vladivostok Airport (VVO) in the Russian Far East will gain open skies status in June, Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) CEO Mikhail Vasilenko said. This will enable new carriers to pick up and drop off passengers and cargo without bilateral agreements.

SVO, which owns a 52.1% share in VVO, is one of the investors in the $190 million terminal and aerodrome infrastructure renovation set to open in March. The terminal, which will initially accommodate 3.5 million passengers, was revamped for the Asia/Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, taking place September. In the future, terminal capacity could reach 5 million passengers.

According to market experts, the open skies agreement will attract new carriers and more passengers, enabling VVO to get a return on its investment.

Vasilenko said Korean Air and S7 Airlines will also launch flights from VVO and Khabarovsk to Tokyo. In 2011, VVO handled 1.46 million passengers, which Vasilenko expects will increase to 1.85 million in 2012.