“Kurumoch” international airport (forms part of Airports of Regions holding) has summed up the results of operation during the year of 2016. From January till December the services of the airport were used by 2 092 042 passengers, which is 5% less than the aggregate passenger traffic for the previous year. During the whole year the positive dynamics was deminstrated by the passenger traffic on domestic Russian routes, by the end of the year the passenger traffic amounted to 1754 463 passengers (+13%), international flights were used by 337 579 passengers (- 48%).
In 2016 airlines performed 23,9 thousand take-off and landing operations. The flights were made in 120 destinations, out of which 51 are regular ones. Last year the airport of Samara on a regular basis cooperated with 31 airlines.
According to the data of airport statistics, Moscow destination retains its popularity, the passenger traffic on flights to Moscow during 2016 increased by 15% and amounted to 1195 859 passengers. The second place as per the popularity belongs traditionally to Saint-Petersburg, however last year the passenger traffic became less (146 591 passengers, -14%). It is the first time that the third place belongs to the Russian resort city of Sochi, the traffic in this destination actually increased three times from 26,7 thousand passengers in 2015 to 82,3 thousand in 2016. There is one more Russian resort in the top-5 of the most popular destinations of the last year. Giving way to Surgut (65,6 thousand passengers), Simferopol is the last in the top-five of the destinations in respect of the passenger traffic with the figure of 55,1 thousand passengers (+58%).
It is worth mentioning, that last year the passenger traffic to Russian resorts actually doubled. Sochi, Simferopol, Anapa, Gelendzhik, and Mineralye Vody were chosen as the place of rest by 154,9 thousand passengers. The amount of holiday-makers abroad is higher - 207,8 thousand passengers. However, this traffic was secured by 20 destinations.
The airlines, making flights from Samara, noticeably expanded their route networks. Thus, in 2016 “Rusline” airline launched direct flights to Tyumen, Rostov-on-Don, Gelendzhik, as well as transfer flights to Novyj Urengoj, Nadym, Noyabrsk. “Ural airlines” implemented the large-scale program of flights across CIS countries (Dushanbe, Erevan, OSH) and non-CIS countries (Tivat, Burgas, Dubai, Tel-Aviv). “Saratov airlines” started carrying passengers on the route Samara-Mineralnye vody. In 2016 the airport of Samara for the first time implemented the international transfer technology, the debut flight was on the route Moscow-Samara-Alma-Aty of the “Pobeda” airline.
“Objectively, the year was not a simple one, but we worked in a decent way. In 2016 the passengers called the airport of Samara one of the best in the country, which, no doubt, is very pleasant. I am sure that we' ll approach the anniversary — 60 years from the moment of opening of the airport in December 2017- with significant increase of all operational indicators”, - underlines Konstantin Bulinin, executive director of “Kurumoch” international airport” JSC.