Gelendzhik Airport Set to Welcome Passengers Again After Three-Year Hiatus Due to Conflict

A regional airport on the Black Sea coast of Russia is set to reopen more than three years after halting operations due to the onset of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as announced by the Transportation Ministry on Wednesday.

«Gelendzhik Airport is getting ready to restart its operations,» the ministry stated. «The reopening for domestic flights is expected soon, and tickets will be available for purchase following the official announcement.»

An anonymous source from the Transportation Ministry informed the pro-Kremlin publication Izvestia that Aeroflot plans to commence daytime flights from Gelendzhik, situated in the Krasnodar region, beginning July 18.

In February 2022, flights were suspended at 11 airports in southern and central Russia due to safety concerns after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine.

Elista Airport in the Kalmykia region was the first to resume operations in May 2024, having been assessed as safe from potential Ukrainian drone attacks. The ministry reported that Elista facilitated 324 flights and served 29,000 passengers in the first half of 2025.

Pashkovsky Airport in Krasnodar had a test flight in December 2023, but plans for its reopening were later postponed for reasons that remain undisclosed.

Earlier this week, the Kremlin-installed leader of annexed Crimea mentioned that flights to and from Simferopol International Airport could begin «immediately» once approved by Putin.