The new airport Gagarin in Saratov has took its first flight

August,18 the first test passengers flight was fulfilled to the new airport is Saratov. That is the way to celebrate the Civil Aviation Day for Victor Vekselberg –the owner of “Regional airports” holding, who was onboard. His company was constructing the airport. Among other passengers there were: Vyacheslav Volodin –Russia State Duma chairman, born in Saratov region, Transport Ministry and Rosaviation officials, State Corporation for air traffic organization employees and many other public people having connections with the city. This flight was fulfilled by Pobeda air company. Andrey Kalmykov the air company director was the flight attendant onboard. He has the license for that job.  

The first regular flight with passengers to Gagarin airport will also be fulfilled by Pobeda air company August, 20 from Moscow airport Vnukovo. And then all the flights will be redirected to Gagarin airport instead of the old Central airport. During its first working day the new airport is going to receive 14 flights from Moscow being fulfilled by Aeroflot, S7 and Pegas Fly companies. 

July, 20 2019 the Government of RF has published the disposition № 1626-р, according to which since the first working day the new airport will work as the international. And Pegas Fly will carry the first group of passengers to Antalya from Saratov that day. 

The same test flight was fulfilled in December 2017 to Rostov-on-Don airport Platov. It was also constructed by “Regional airports” holding. These two airports are the only constructed in Russia from zero level. And Azimut air company has fulfilled the flight then. 

Saratov is the regional center in Volga district with the inhabitance of 844 858 citizens (according to the data of 2018). New airport construction started in 2012 near Saburovka village. And now Gagarin airport has got the artificial runway of 3 000 m and the passengers’ terminal of 23 000 sq.m.  It costed 8,2 billion rubles for the holding. 5,4 billion rubles are from the Nation Welfare Fund. The estimated cost was 15 billion rubles. 

It is situated in 20 km from Saratov. The old Central airport will be closed now. Victor Vekselberg states, that he is looking for the rapid passengers’ flow growth thanks to Pobeda flights too. “Low coasters are dominating in Europe now,” marked the holding owner. Gagarin is constructed to serve 1 mil passengers a year and  Eugeniy Chudnovskiy - the airport general director –counts to get this figure in 2021. 

May,22 2018 the Government of RF ordered (№ 945-p) to name the airport after the first soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The new airport has got the international code GSV (Gagarin SaratoV). It has not its own base carrier. The only local air company “Saratov air lines”, based in Central airport, had stopped flights in May 2018. The official web site works since August, 9 2019.