Gelendzhik Airport Reopens to Tourists with First Flight After Three-Year Hiatus

The Gelendzhik regional airport, situated along the Black Sea coast, celebrated the arrival of its inaugural commercial flight on Friday, marking over three years since operations were suspended due to airspace limitations following Russia’s extensive military invasion of Ukraine.

An Aeroflot Airbus A321 departed from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Friday afternoon, landing in Gelendzhik—located in the tourism-rich Krasnodar region—around 3:30 p.m. local time.

The landing of the passenger aircraft was celebrated with a festive water salute from fire trucks, accompanied by a welcoming party of officials, photographers, and journalists.

Footage released by state media depicted the gray aircraft arriving smoothly at the small coastal airport, which had been inactive since early 2022, when Russia halted civilian flights at nearby airports due to safety apprehensions amid the conflict.

Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev heralded the reopening of the airport as a significant milestone for the resort area that attracts a considerable number of tourists, noting that approximately 400,000 people are vacationing in Krasnodar at present.

“Travelers can now consider new routes, and logistics have been considerably streamlined,” he stated on Telegram.

Earlier this month, Russia’s Transportation Ministry announced the airport’s reopening but did not specify the date for the first flight. An unnamed official from the ministry revealed to pro-Kremlin media that only daytime flights would be permitted as the airport resumes operations.

Gelendzhik is the second regional airport in Russia to reopen since the operational suspensions in 2022; Elista Airport in the Kalmykia republic was the first to resume services in May 2024 after safety from potential Ukrainian drone attacks was confirmed.

While some airports remain closed, officials have suggested possible reopening based on evolving security circumstances. A test flight touched down at Krasnodar’s Pashkovsky Airport last December, but plans for commercial service there were quietly abandoned.

The renovated Gelendzhik terminal, completed just months before the onset of war, cost approximately 6 billion rubles (around $68 million) and spans nearly 17,000 square meters, with the capacity to accommodate about 900 passengers per hour and over 1 million annually.

The airport’s design was crafted by the Italian architectural firm of Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas.