Pulkovo Airport

Pulkovo Airport
Аэропорт Пулково
Summary
Airport type International
Owner Saint Petersburg City Administration
Operator Northern Capital Gateway
Serves Saint Petersburg, Russia
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 79 ft / 24 m
Coordinates 59°48′01″N 30°15′45″E / 59.80028°N 30.26250°E / 59.80028; 30.26250
Website pulkovoairport.ru
Map
LED
Location of airport in Saint Petersburg
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10R/28L 3,780 12,401 Cement-concrete
10L/28R 3,397 11,145 Cement-concrete
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 16,125,520
Passenger change Increase 21.2%
Sources: Passenger Traffic, ACI Europe[1]
AIP of the Russian Federation[2]

Pulkovo Airport (Russian: Аэропорт Пулково, IPA: [ˈpulkəvə]) (IATA: LED, ICAO: ULLI) is an international airport serving Saint Petersburg, Russia. It consists of one terminal, Terminal 1 which is located 23 km (14 mi) south of the city centre.[3] The airport serves as a hub for Rossiya Airlines[4] (formerly Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise), and as focus city for Nordavia. Pulkovo International Airport is responsible for serving the citizens of Saint Petersburg, as well as the Leningrad Oblast: a total of 6,120,000 people.

Description

Pulkovo Airport was officially opened on June 24, 1932, as a state-owned domestic airport. According to provisional figures for 2017, 16,125,520 passengers passed through the airport, a 21.6% increase over 2016. This makes Pulkovo the 4th busiest airport in Russia and the Post-Soviet States.[3] Pulkovo is one of the largest airports in Russia and Eastern Europe.

History

1931–1986

In January 1931, construction of an aerodrome near Leningrad (Saint Petersburg's official name between 1924 and 1991 and the source of the airfield's IATA code of "LED" [3]) commenced and was completed on June 24, 1932, with the first aircraft arriving at 17:31 that day, after a two-and-a-half hour flight from Moscow carrying passengers and mail.[5] This aerodrome was at first named Shosseynaya Airport, the name coming from the nearby Shosseynaya railway station.[6] Soon after the airport opened regular flights to Petrozavodsk, Pudozh, Arkhangelsk, and Murmansk.

In 1936, a foundation for a new terminal was laid out. Leningrad's airport was also provided with new G-2s and PS-84s.[7] In 1941, a new completely commercial passenger route between Moscow and Leningrad was opened; before it was a mixed passenger-mail route. Construction of the new terminal thrived between 1937 and 1941. The architects of the new three-story terminal were Aleksandr Ivanovich Gegello and N.E. Lansere. Construction was abruptly put on hold in July 1941, one month after Nazi Germany's invasion of the USSR on June 22, 1941. The airport was the front line in the German Siege of Leningrad. There were no flights between 1941 and 1944. The nearby Pulkovo hills were occupied by the Germans and were used by German long-range artillery for daily bombardments of Leningrad. The airport was cleared of the Germans in January 1944, and resumed cargo and mail flights after the runways were repaired in 1945. In February 1948, after the damage was completely repaired, the airport resumed scheduled passenger flights. In 1949, there were scheduled flights to 15 major cities of the USSR, and 15 more short-range flights within the north-western Russia.[8] In 1949 Shosseynaya Airport recorded a passenger traffic rate of 6,305, 333 tons of mail, and 708 tons of cargo.[9]

In 1951, the construction of the new terminal was complete. In the mid-1950s the new extended runway was completed, allowing to handle larger aircraft such as Ilyushin-18 and Tupolev-104.[10] in that same time period the exploitation of jet engine planes began in Shosseynaya Airport. On March 15, 1959, the USSR-42419 Tu-104 was the first commercial jet airplane to take off from the Shosseynaya Airport.

In the early 1960s long-distance airplanes such as the An-24 and Yak-40 began to appear in the airport. Flights to Vladivostok began to emerge in the flight lists. ICAO category 1 standards were implemented in 1965, making way for international operations. By the late 1960s, over 60 airlines had flights to and from Saint Petersburg's airport. On February 8, 1971, Shosseynaya was awarded the Order of the October Revolution.[11] The airport was renamed Pulkovo Airport on April 24, 1973. In May 1973, the new Pulkovo 1 terminal was opened. The famous 5-cup Pulkovo 1 was designed by Alexandr Zyk. The 5 cups on top were put intentionally to give the terminal a more spacious feeling, as well as to allow more natural sunlight to pass through. This terminal is regarded as a masterpiece of Soviet postmodern architecture.[12] Pulkovo 1 was a domestic-only terminal. Domestic air traffic increased approximately 45% every decade between the 1970-1990s. The old pre-war building of the airport was renamed to Pulkovo 2 and the terminal was exploited for international flights only.[13]

On April 11, 1986, the new departure and arrival zones for the international terminal were completed, doubling the passenger traffic rate capacity of Pulkovo 1.

1986–2007

In 1990, Pulkovo Airport reach its passenger traffic rate peak of over 10,000,000 passengers. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union the number of passengers declined. In 2005, Pulkovo Airport gained independence as it separated from the Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise. Also in 2005 Rosavia declares that Pulkovo Airport (still state-owned) is to have an open tender on an investment project of the new terminal construction.This allowed it to sell shares and begin working on investment bidding projects. In 2006, Pulkovo Airport served just over 5,000,000 passengers: only 50% of the number from 1990.

2007–present

In 2007, Grimshaw Architects was announced as the winner of the construction contract. In 2009, The Saint Petersburg Transportation Ministry requested that an operating company for Pulkovo Airport be created, and a consortium known as NCG (Northern Capital Gateway) was set up by Russian VTB Capital Bank, international Fraport AG Company, and the Greek Copelouzos Group. On April 29, 2010, NCG won the tender for a 30-year operating lease over Pulkovo Airport. On November 24, 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended a ceremony celebrating the beginning of construction on the new 150,000 m² Terminal 1.

Terminals

Pulkovo 2

Pulkovo 2 is approximately 25,000 m2 (270,000 sq ft). The terminal used to serve as the international departures and arrivals zone. It was last renovated in 2009. Today, Pulkovo 2 is used as a second-hand terminal for government officials and VIP members.

Pulkovo 1

This terminal is 43,000 m2 (460,000 sq ft).[14] It served as the main terminal for over 30 years. Pulkovo 1 was built for 6,500,000 passengers annually, but by 2008 it surpassed its maximum capacity.[15] Today Pulkovo 1 is under a major reconstruction. This terminal is planned to be used as the domestic transit/departure zone. The zone is planned to have several duty-free shops, restaurants, and 6 jet bridges. When Pulkovo 1 is completed, Pulkovo Airport's capacity will increase to 17,000,000 passengers annually. Reconstruction of Pulkovo 1 was finished at the end of 2014.

Terminal 1

Construction of Terminal 1 was delayed several times and began in 2010. In November 2013, the airport was tested for errors by over 5,200 residents of Saint Petersburg who partook in the process. Several days after the test the new Terminal 1 opened on December 3, 2013. On February 14, 2014, all operations were consolidated into the new terminal as the old Pulkovo 1 and Pulkovo 2 terminals have been shut down.[14] The new terminal contains several business lounges, restaurants, pharmacies. Terminal 1 is 147,000 m² and has 400,000 m² airport dock in front of it. The airport has 88 check-in counters, 110 passport booths, 7 baggage carousels, 110 parking stands, 17 gates, and 17 escalators. The interior of the new airport was designed by Grimshaw Architects and directly correlates with the designs and style of Saint Petersburg city. The new Terminal also sought many artistic sculptures and paintings to give a sense of thriving culture to passengers. Four sculptures from Dmitry Shorin's project named I Believe in Angels decorate the departure hall.[16][17]

The current Pulkovo-1 terminal includes new terminal and old Soviet terminal that was re-constructed and fully converted into departure area.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Seasonal: Athens, Heraklion, Rhodes, Thessaloniki
Aeroflot Moscow–Sheremetyevo
Air Astana Almaty, Astana
airBaltic Riga
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air Malta Seasonal: Malta[18]
Air Moldova Chișinău
Air Serbia Seasonal: Belgrade
Alitalia Seasonal: Catania,[19] Rome–Fiumicino[19]
Alrosa Mirny, Novosibirsk, Polyarny, Yakutsk
Arkia Seasonal: Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion
AtlasGlobal Seasonal charter: Dalaman[20]
Austrian Airlines Seasonal: Vienna
Avia Traffic Company Bishkek, Osh
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku, Ganja
AzimuthGrozny, Krasnodar,[21] Rostov-on-Don,[21] Stavropol
Azur Air Seasonal charter: Dubai–Al Maktoum, Heraklion, Punta Cana
Belavia Minsk
British Airways London–Heathrow
Brussels Airlines Brussels
Buta Airways Baku[22]
China Eastern Airlines Shanghai–Pudong, Xi'an[23]
China Southern Airlines Lanzhou, Ürümqi[24]
Croatia Airlines Seasonal: Zagreb
Cyprus Airways Larnaca[25]
Czech Airlines Prague
Ellinair Seasonal: Heraklion, Kavala, Thessaloniki
Emirates Dubai–International
Finnair Helsinki
Georgian Airways Tbilisi
Germania Dresden[26]
Hainan Airlines Beijing–Capital
I-Fly Shenzhen
Seasonal charter: Antalya
IrAero Barnaul,[27] Irkutsk
Iran Air Tehran–Imam Khomeini[28]
Iran Aseman Airlines Seasonal: Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Izhavia Izhevsk
KLM Amsterdam
Komiaviatrans Belgorod, Nizhnekamsk, Perm, Syktyvkar, Usinsk, Vladimir
Korean Air Seasonal: Seoul–Incheon
Kostroma Air Enterprise Kostroma
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin
Lucky Air Chengdu[29]
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Mahan Air Seasonal: Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Charter: Mashhad
Montenegro Airlines Seasonal: Tivat
Nordavia Arkhangelsk, Chelyabinsk, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Murmansk, Naryan-Mar, Samara, Syktyvkar, Tbilisi, Voronezh
Seasonal: Anapa, Batumi, Simferopol, Sochi
Nordica Tallinn
NordStar Moscow–Domodedovo,[30] Norilsk
Nordwind Airlines Yekaterinburg
Seasonal charter: Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Bodrum, Heraklion, Goa, Monastir, Phuket, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Nouvelair Seasonal charter: Enfidha, Monastir
Onur Air Seasonal charter: Alanya-Gazipaşa
Pobeda Bergamo,[31] Cheboksary (begins 31 October 2018),[32] Cologne/Bonn, Gyumri, Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen (begins 28 October 2018),[31] Kaliningrad,[33] London–Stansted,[31] Moscow–Vnukovo, Magas, Nalchik,[34] Pisa, Rostov-on-Don, Vladikavkaz,[34] Volgograd[34], Yekaterinburg
Seasonal: Makhachkala
Pegas Fly Seasonal charter: Nha Trang
Pskovavia Kotlas, Pskov
Qatar Airways Doha[35]
Red Wings Airlines Makhachkala, Simferopol, Sochi
Seasonal: Kranodar,[36] Tivat[36]
Rossiya Airlines Almaty, Arkhangelsk, Barcelona, Berlin–Schönefeld, Chelyabinsk, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Istanbul–Atatürk,[37] Kaliningrad, Kazan, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo, Larnaca, London–Gatwick,[38] Milan–Malpensa, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow–Vnukovo, Munich, Murmansk, Nice, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Perm, Prague, Rome–Fiumicino, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Samarkand, Simferopol, Sochi, Surgut, Syktyvkar, Tashkent, Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion, Tyumen, Ufa, Vienna, Yekaterinburg
Seasonal: Anapa, Antalya, Burgas, Chișinău, Gelendzhik, Rimini, Tivat, Varna Seasonal charter: Pardubice
Royal Flight Seasonal charter: Antalya, Barcelona, Bodrum, Macau, Rhodes
RusLine Belgorod,[39] Bergen,[40] Ivanovo, Kaliningrad,[41] Kirov, Kursk, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oslo, Penza, Saratov, Tambov, Ulyanovsk, Vilnius, Voronezh
Seasonal: Gelendzhik[42]
S7 Airlines Alicante, Anapa (begins 26 April 2019),[43] Berlin–Tegel, Bryansk, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Moscow–Domodedovo, Murmansk,[44] Novosibirsk, Olbia, Omsk,[45] Perm,[46] Pisa,[47][48] Saransk,[49] Sochi, Ufa (begins 27 April 2019),[43] Yaroslavl
Seasonal: Belgorod,[45] Innsbruck,[50] Pula,[51][48] Salzburg, Stockholm–Arlanda,[48] Turin, Verona
Scandinavian Airlines Stockholm–Arlanda
Seasonal: Copenhagen
Severstal Air Company Apatity/Kirovsk, Cherepovets, Sovetsky, Ukhta, Veliky Ustyug
Sichuan Airlines Chengdu[52]
Somon Air Dushanbe, Khujand
SunExpress Seasonal: Izmir
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich
Taban Air Seasonal: Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Tajik Air Dushanbe, Khujand
Tunisair Seasonal: Monastir
Turkish Airlines Antalya, Istanbul–Atatürk
Turkmenistan Airlines Aşhgabat
Ural Airlines Baku[53], Barnaul, Beijing–Capital, Bishkek, Chita, Dushanbe, Frankfurt,[54] Kaliningrad, Kemerovo, Khabarovsk, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow–Domodedovo, Namangan, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Osh, Rostov-on-Don, Shymkent,[55] Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion, Vladivostok, Yakutsk, Yekaterinburg, Yerevan
Seasonal: Barcelona, Batumi, Eilat–Ovda,[56] Larnaca, Simferopol, Sochi, Tbilisi, Tenerife–South,[57] Tomsk
Seasonal charter: Burgas, Enfidha, Heraklion, Palma de Mallorca, Rimini, Rhodes, Varna
Utair Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow–Vnukovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Noyabrsk, Samara, Surgut, Vladikavkaz
Seasonal: Anapa, Novy Urengoy
UVT Aero Bugulma, Kazan, Nizhnevartovsk, Salekhard
Uzbekistan Airways Andizhan, Bukhara, Ferghana, Karshi, Namangan, Navoi, Samarkand, Tashkent, Termez, Urgench
Vologda Aviation Enterprise Vologda
Vueling Alicante, Barcelona
Wizz Air Budapest[58]
Yakutia Airlines Yakutsk
Seasonal: Magadan, Novosibirsk
Yamal Airlines Apatity/Kirovsk, Novy Urengoy,[59] Tyumen
Seasonal: Simferopol
Zagros Airlines Seasonal: Isfahan

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Asiana Cargo Gothenburg–Landvetter, Seoul–Incheon, Vienna

Statistics

Annual traffic

Annual Passenger Traffic
Year Passengers % Change
20044,337,749Steady
20054,654,405Increase 7.3%
20065,101,842Increase 9.6%
20076,137,805Increase 20%
20087,071,537Increase 15.2%
20096,758,352Decrease -4.4%
20108,443,753Increase 25%
20119,610,767Increase 14%
201211,154,560Increase 16%
201312,854,366Increase 15.2%
201414,264,732Increase 11%
201513,500,125Decrease -5.3%
201613,300,000Decrease -1.4%
201716,125,520Increase 21.2%

Route statistics

2015–2016

Busiest domestic routes at Pulkovo Airport (by number of passengers) 2015–2016[60]
Rank 2016CityRegionAirportsAirlines20152016
1 Moscow Moscow Moscow
Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast		 Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo Aeroflot, Rossiya, S7 Airlines, UTair, Transaero 3,742,144 3,836,588
2 Simferopol  Crimea Simferopol Airport Red Wings Airlines, Rossiya 578,200 502,105
3 Sochi  Krasnodar Krai Adler–Sochi International Airport Rossiya, Ural Airlines 293,969 407,376
4 Yekaterinburg  Sverdlovsk Oblast Koltsovo Airport Rossiya, Ural Airlines 252,398 330,516
5 Kaliningrad  Kaliningrad Oblast Khrabrovo Airport Nordavia, Rossiya 294,842 316,478
6 Arkhangelsk  Arkhangelsk Oblast Talagi Airport Nordavia, Rossiya 250,958 262,381
7 Krasnodar  Krasnodar Krai Pashkovsky Airport Donavia, Pobeda, Rossiya 246,697 256,226
8 Murmansk  Murmansk Oblast Murmansk Airport Nordavia, Rossiya 232,884 242,933
9 Novosibirsk  Novosibirsk Oblast Tolmachevo Airport Rossiya, S7 Airlines, Ural Airlines 187,176 220,538
10 Rostov on Don  Rostov Oblast Rostov-on-Don Airport 203,188
Mineralnye Vody  Stavropol Krai Mineralnye Vody Airport Donavia, Rossiya 197,204

2015

Busiest CIS routes at Pulkovo Airport (by number of passengers) 2015[60]
RankCityCountryAirportsAirlinesNumber of passengers
1 Minsk  Belarus Minsk National Airport Belavia, Rossiya 162,712
2 Kiev  Ukraine Boryspil International Airport
Kiev International Airport (Zhuliany)		 Rossiya, Transaero, Ukraine International Airlines 162,103
3 Tashkent  Uzbekistan Tashkent International Airport Rossiya, Uzbekistan Airways 123,268
4 Almaty  Kazakhstan Almaty International Airport Air Astana, Rossiya 118,300
5 Dushanbe  Tajikistan Dushanbe International Airport Rossiya, Somon Air, Tajik Air 88,266
6 Samarkand  Uzbekistan Samarkand Airport Rossiya, Uzbekistan Airways 87,108
7 Chișinău  Moldova Chișinău International Airport Air Moldova, Rossiya 79,106
8 Astana  Kazakhstan Astana International Airport Air Astana, Rossiya 75,381
9 Urgench  Uzbekistan Urgench International Airport Rossiya, Uzbekistan Airways 49,839
10 Baku  Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev International Airport Azerbaijan Airlines, Rossiya 47,542
Busiest international routes at Pulkovo Airport (by number of passengers) 2015[60]
RankCityCountryAirportsAirlinesNumber of passengers
1 Antalya  Turkey Antalya International Airport Rossiya, Ural Airlines 460,392
2 Frankfurt  Germany Frankfurt Airport Lufthansa, Rossiya 268,795
3 Paris  France Charles de Gaulle Airport Air France, Rossiya 216,483
4 Hurghada  Egypt Hurghada International Airport Ural Airlines 206,471
5 Larnaca  Cyprus Larnaca International Airport Rossiya, Transaero 179,738
6 Sharm el-Sheikh  Egypt Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport Metrojet, Rossiya 170,557
7 Istanbul  Turkey Istanbul Atatürk Airport Rossiya, Turkish Airlines 151,657
8 Munich  Germany Munich Airport Lufthansa, Rossiya 150,517
9 Rome  Italy Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport Alitalia, Rossiya 134,930
10 Dubai  United Arab Emirates Dubai International Airport Emirates, Rossiya 124,709

2013

Busiest domestic routes at Pulkovo Airport (by number of passengers) 2013[60]
RankCityRegionAirportsAirlinesNumber of passengers
1 Moscow Moscow Moscow
Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast		 Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo Aeroflot, Gazpromavia, Rossiya, S7 Airlines, UTair Aviation 2,965,331
2 Kaliningrad  Kaliningrad Oblast Khrabrovo Airport Rossiya 287,796
3 Arkhangelsk  Arkhangelsk Oblast Talagi Airport Nordavia, Rossiya 248,298
4 Murmansk  Murmansk Oblast Murmansk Airport Nordavia, Rossiya 247,633
5 Sochi  Krasnodar Krai Adler–Sochi International Airport Donavia, Rossiya 237,678
6 Yekaterinburg  Sverdlovsk Oblast Koltsovo Airport Rossiya, Ural Airlines 181,933
7 Krasnodar  Krasnodar Krai Pashkovsky Airport Rossiya, Yakutia Airlines 169,533
8 Novosibirsk  Novosibirsk Oblast Tolmachevo Airport Rossiya, S7 Airlines, Ural Airlines 150,629
9 Rostov-on-Don  Rostov Oblast Rostov-on-Don Airport Donavia, Rossiya, Ural Airlines 124,281
10 Samara  Samara Oblast Kurumoch International Airport Ak Bars Aero, Rossiya 115,542
Busiest CIS routes at Pulkovo Airport (by number of passengers) 2013[60]
RankCityCountryAirportsAirlinesNumber of passengers
1 Kiev  Ukraine Boryspil International Airport
Kiev International Airport (Zhuliany)		 Rossiya, Ukraine International Airlines, UTair-Ukraine 177,838
2 Tashkent  Uzbekistan Tashkent International Airport Rossiya, Uzbekistan Airways 129,151
3 Samarkand  Uzbekistan Samarkand Airport Rossiya, Uzbekistan Airways 105,747
4 Dushanbe  Tajikistan Dushanbe International Airport Rossiya, Somon Air, Tajik Air 86,141
5 Minsk  Belarus Minsk National Airport Belavia, Rossiya 84,778
6 Simferopol  Ukraine Simferopol International Airport Air Onix, Rossiya 80,826
7 Almaty  Kazakhstan Almaty International Airport Air Astana, Rossiya 74,700
8 Baku  Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev International Airport Azerbaijan Airlines, Rossiya 61,570
9 Urgench  Uzbekistan Urgench International Airport Rossiya, Uzbekistan Airways 55,707
10 Khujand  Tajikistan Khujand Airport Nordstar Airlines, Rossiya, Somon Air, Tajik Air 43,925
Busiest international routes at Pulkovo Airport (by number of passengers) 2013[60]
RankCityCountryAirportsAirlinesNumber of passengers
1 Antalya  Turkey Antalya International Airport Rossiya, Ural Airlines 451,046
2 Frankfurt  Germany Frankfurt Airport Lufthansa, Rossiya 307,103
3 Hurghada  Egypt Hurghada International Airport Ural Airlines 287,363
4 Munich  Germany Munich Airport Lufthansa, Rossiya 235,710
5 Larnaca  Cyprus Larnaca International Airport Rossiya, Transaero 230,291
6 Paris  France Charles de Gaulle Airport Air France, Rossiya 228,564
7 Sharm el-Sheikh  Egypt Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport Metrojet, Rossiya 222,671
8 Berlin  Germany Tegel Airport, Schönefeld Airport Air Berlin (TXL), Rossiya (SXF) 186,644
9 Dubai  United Arab Emirates Dubai International Airport Emirates, Rossiya 177,120
10 Prague  Czech Republic Prague Václav Havel Airport Czech Airlines, Rossiya 143,956

Investors

Northern Capital Gateway (NCG) began managing the airport in 2009.[61]

The airport's website lists the companies currently participating alongside NCG:[61]

"Russian VTB Capital, member of state-owned VTB Group, German Fraport AG, which manages and operates the airport of Frankfurt and many other international airports, and Horizon Air Investments S.A. member of the Greek Copelouzos Group".

Although not yet listed on the website, the latest investor is Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which now owns a 24.99% share of the Pulkovo Airport.[62]

Qatar Investment Authority

In mid-2016, Qatari sovereign wealth fund QIA was proud to announce that it had purchased nearly a quarter-percent stake in the Russian airport.[63]

Qatar purchased a roughly 10% stake in Thalita Trading from Germany's airport operating holding, Fraport (FRAG.DE), in July 2016.[62] Thalita Trading is the parent company of NCG, manager of the airport.[64] It was reported that Fraport expected to make between €30–40 million in the sale.[63]

Qatar then bought stake from Copelouzos Group to grow its share in Thalita, and consequently the entire airport, to 24.99%.[64] As of September 2016, it was reported that QIA was to pay €239, or $269 million, for the quarter-percent stake.[65]

Commenting on the sale, Qatar's Doha News reported that:[63]

"QIA's purchase of a stake in Pulkovo increases the country's interest in foreign airports, following a big investment in London Heathrow operator Heathrow Airport Holdings".

Sheikh Ahmed Al-Thani, vice chairman of QIA and member of Qatar's ruling Al-Thani family, is now listed as a member of the Board of Directors on the Pulkovo airport's website, along with Arturo Carta of QIA.[66]

Investment background and controversy

QIA is the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar founded in 2005 by the Al-Thani family.

Since its inception, the sovereign wealth fund has been ramping up its worldwide real estate purchases, and most recently has invested heavily throughout the United States. The fund purchased stake in the Empire State Building in August 2016 and became the primary investor in one of Washington, D.C.'s larger mixed-use developments, CityCenterDC, which delivered in 2015.[67]

In December 2016, QIA together with commodities trader Glencore purchased a 19.5% share in Russia's largest oil company, Rosneft, for €10.2 billion ($10.8 billion).[68] Rosneft has been under sanctions by the European Union and United States since 2014.[69][70] A few months following the deal, Reuters reported that when asked if he was still confident about the investment, QIA CEO Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Thani responded "Absolutely, no doubt".[68]

In March 2017, CEO Al-Thani announced Qatar's latest venture: "Soon we will be opening an office in the Silicon Valley in San Francisco".[71][72]

Qatar's aggressive investments, including its "interest in foreign airports", have been met with hesitation from those suspicious about the country's longstanding connections to multiple terrorist organizations and their senior-level operators.[73][74][75]

Ground transportation

Bus near Terminal 1.
  • "Marshrutka" minibuses № K-39 run on several lines, some of them following the city bus routes (and using matching line numbers).
  • Pulkovo Airport is served by the shuttle buses(№39 and №39Ex).They connect the airport with metro station "Moskovskaya" on line M2.
  • Train station "Аirport" (Russian "Аэропорт") is 15 minutes walk from Pulkovo 2.

For private car travel, Pulkovo Airport is accessible via the nearby Pulkovo Highway (Pulkovskoe shosse) from Saint Petersburg city center.

Accidents and incidents

  • April 27, 1974, an Ilyushin Il-18V passenger aircraft of Aeroflot flying to Krasnodar crashed right after take off from Pulkovo after an engine fire. All 108 passengers and 10 members of crew died.
  • June 26, 1991, an Antonov An-24 cargo aircraft of the AKF Polet company heading to Voronezh crashed in the Gulf of Finland five minutes after take off from Pulkovo. All ten people on board died.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ACI EUROPE Airport Traffic Report. December, Q4 and Full Year 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Russian AIP (CAIGA)". Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "About the Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. ↑ About Us – STC Russia Archived 2009-06-29 at the Wayback Machine., Rossiya Airlines, retrieved January 2, 2009
  5. ↑ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Pulkovo Airport – About – History". 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Pulkovo – About – History – 1930s". 2010. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Pulkovo – About – History – 40s". 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  10. ↑ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Pulkovo – About – History – 1970s". 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Pulkovo – About – History – 1970s". 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  13. ↑ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Information report on final moving of international flights from Pulkovo-2 to the new Terminal-1 of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Pulkovo – Airport Indicators". 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Dmitry Shorin. I Believe in Angels". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Pulkovo Airoprt art and architecture projects page". Archived from the original on 2014-03-07. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  18. ↑ Liu, Jim (13 October 2017). "airmalta schedules new routes in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Alitalia: new non-stop flight Rome-Kiev". finchannel.com. The FINANCIAL. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  20. ↑ Liu, Jim (15 March 2018). "AtlasGlobal adds new Russian scheduled charters in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  21. 1 2 "Авиакомпания Азимут открыла продажу авиабилетов на рейсы в Санкт-Петербург из Ростова и Краснодара". azimuth.aero (in Russian). Azimuth. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  22. ↑ "Timetable of Buta Airways flights". Buta Airways. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  23. ↑ Liu, Jim (13 April 2018). "China Eastern adds Xi'An – St. Petersburg from May 2018". Routesonline. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  24. ↑ Liu, Jim (15 January 2018). "China Southern expands Boeing 787 Urumqi routes in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  25. ↑ Liu, Jim (5 June 2017). "Cyprus Airways resumes operation in early-June 2017". Routesonline. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  26. ↑ "Neue Ziele auf dem Dresdner Flugplan". SZ-Online (in German). Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  27. ↑ Liu, Jim (7 April 2017). "IrAero new domestic routes in S17". Routesonline. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  28. ↑ Liu, Jim (12 February 2018). "Iran Air files network expansion in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  29. ↑ Liu, Jim (2 November 2017). "Lucky Air revises Chengdu – St. Petersburg launch to Dec 2017". Routesonline. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  30. ↑ Liu, Jim (5 October 2016). "NordStar adds Moscow – St. Petersburg flights from Nov 2016". Routesonline. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  31. 1 2 3 Liu, Jim (25 August 2018). "Pobeda adds new European routes from Kaliningrad / St. Petersburg in 4Q18". Routesonline. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  32. ↑ "Pobeda expands domestic network Sep/Oct 2018". Routesonline. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  33. ↑ Liu, Jim (19 February 2018). "Pobeda schedules Kaliningrad launch in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  34. 1 2 3 Liu, Jim (9 November 2016). "Pobeda expands St. Petersburg network in W16". Routesonline. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  35. ↑ "Qatar Airways Launches Flights to Russia's St. Petersburg as Ambitious Expansion Plans Continue". qatarairways.com. Qatar Airways. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  36. 1 2 Liu, Jim (13 July 2017). "Red Wings adds new St. Petersburg routes from July 2017". Routesonline. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  37. ↑ Liu, Jim (15 March 2017). "Rossiya schedules Istanbul service from March 2017". Routesonline. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  38. ↑ Liu, Jim (20 February 2018). "Rossiya/Aeroflot adds St. Petersburg – London service in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  39. ↑ "Руслайн расширяет полетную программу в Санкт-Петербург | Belgorod International Airport". belgorodavia.ru (in Russian). International aiport Belgorod. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  40. ↑ "RusLine: RusLine S17 European route additions". Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  41. ↑ Liu, Jim (2 November 2017). "RusLine adds Kaliningrad routes in W17". Routesonline. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  42. ↑ Liu, Jim (21 April 2017). "RusLine S17 domestic Russia routes addition". Routesonline. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  43. 1 2 Liu, Jim (20 August 2018). "S7 Airlines adds new St. Petersburg routes in 2018/19". Routesonline. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  44. ↑ "Russia, Saint Petersburg, Pulkovo (LED) <-> Russia, Murmansk (MMK)". S7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  45. 1 2 Liu, Jim (6 July 2018). "S7 Airlines adds new domestic routes from St. Petersburg from July 2018". Routesonline. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  46. ↑ "Russia, Saint Petersburg, Pulkovo (LED) <-> Russia, Perm, Bolshoye Savino (PEE)". S7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  47. ↑ "Russia, Saint Petersburg, Pulkovo (LED) <-> Italy, Pisa, G. Galilei (PSA)". S7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  48. 1 2 3 Liu, Jim (14 November 2017). "S7 Airlines expands European network from St. Petersburg in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  49. ↑ "Russia, Saint Petersburg, Pulkovo (LED) <-> Russia, Saransk (SKX)". S7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  50. ↑ "Schedule". S7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  51. ↑ "Russia, Saint Petersburg, Pulkovo (LED) <-> Croatia, Pula (PUY)". S7.ru. S7 Airlines. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  52. ↑ Sichuan Airlines begin service to Saint Petersburg from 2018
  53. ↑ Liu, Jim (26 May 2017). "Ural Airlnes adds St. Petersburg – Baku route from late-May 2017". Routesonline. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  54. ↑ Liu, Jim (13 April 2018). "Ural Airlines schedules Frankfurt from late-May 2018". Routesonline. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  55. ↑ "Ural Airlines adds St. Petersburg – Chimkent from Oct 2017". routesonline. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  56. ↑ Liu, Jim (8 September 2016). "Ural Airlines adds Ovda service in W16". Routesonline. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  57. ↑ Liu, Jim (11 August 2017). "Ural Airlines adds Tenerife service in W17". Routesonline. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  58. ↑ Liu, Jim (9 May 2017). "WizzAir plans Budapest – St. Petersburg Aug 2017 launch". Routesonline. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  59. ↑ Jim Liu, Jim (16 December 2016). "Yamal adds St. Petersburg – Novy Urengoy in 1Q17". Routesonline. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  60. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Airport Indicators". MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS. Northern Capital Gateway LLC. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  61. 1 2 "About the Airport". www.pulkovoairport.ru. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  62. 1 2 "Fraport sells stake in St Petersburg airport to Qatar". Reuters. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  63. 1 2 3 "Qatar Investment Authority buys stake in Russian airport". Doha News. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  64. 1 2 "Fraport sells a share in Pulkovo Airport to Qatar investor – Russian aviation news". Russian Aviation Insider. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  65. ↑ "Press about us | VTB Capital". www.vtbcapital.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  66. ↑ "Board of Directors". www.pulkovoairport.ru. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  67. ↑ "D.C.'s City Center had stalled until Qatar came along and invested $650 million in the development". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  68. 1 2 "QIA chief says he's "absolutely" confident in Rosneft investment". Reuters. 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  69. ↑ "EU top court upholds sanctions against Russia's Rosneft". Reuters. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  70. ↑ "Ukraine-related Sanctions". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  71. ↑ "Qatar Investment Authority to open office in Silicon Valley – The Peninsula Qatar". www.thepeninsulaqatar.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  72. ↑ Editorial, Reuters. "Qatar wealth fund to open office in Silicon Valley". Reuters India. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  73. ↑ "Qatar and Terror Finance – Foundation for Defense of Democracies". www.defenddemocracy.org. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  74. ↑ "Minister's family ties to terror". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  75. ↑ "Terror financiers are living freely in Qatar, US discloses". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-20.

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