Pulkovo Airport
Pulkovo Airport Аэропорт Пулково | |||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||||||||||
Website | pulkovoairport.ru | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2022[1]) | |||||||||||||||
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Sources: Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (see also provisional 2018 statistics)[2] |
Pulkovo Airport (Russian: Аэропорт Пулково, IPA: [ˈpuɫkəvə]) (IATA: LED, ICAO: ULLI) is an international airport serving St. Petersburg, Russia. It consists of one terminal which is located 23 km (14 mi) south of the city centre.[3] The airport serves as a hub for Rossiya Airlines[4] and as focus city for Smartavia. It is responsible for serving the citizens of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast: a total of 6,120,000 people. It is the 29th-busiest airport in Europe in 2022.
Description
[edit]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
[edit]1931–1986
[edit]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 24 June 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 22 June 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 cargo and mail flights were resumed 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 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 the airport to handle larger aircraft such as Ilyushin-18 and Tupolev-104.[10] In that same time period, the use of jet engine planes began in Shosseynaya Airport. On 15 March 1959, the USSR-42419 Tu-104 was the first commercial jet airplane to take off from the Shosseynaya Airport.[citation needed]
In the early 1960s, modern regional 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 Leningrad airport. On 8 February 1971, Shosseynaya was awarded the Order of the October Revolution.[11] The airport was renamed Pulkovo Airport on 24 April 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 and 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 by approximately 45% every decade between the 1970-1990s. The old pre-war building of the airport was renamed Pulkovo 2 and the terminal was exploited for international flights only.[13]
On 11 April 1986, the new departure and arrival zones for the international terminal were completed, doubling the passenger traffic rate capacity of Pulkovo 1.
1986–2007
[edit]In 1990, Pulkovo Airport reached 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
[edit]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 29 April 2010, NCG won the tender for a 30-year operating lease over Pulkovo Airport. On 24 November 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended a ceremony celebrating the beginning of construction on the new 150,000 m2 Terminal 1.
From 2020, the number of destinations is expected to increase rapidly, with up to 75% increase in passenger numbers forecast. This follows a five-year test agreement permitting non-Russian airlines to operate flights from multiple European destinations into the airport under an OpenSkies/Seventh-freedom traffic right[14] The test follows an easing of visa requirements for many European nationals wishing to visit the St Petersburg region designed to increase tourism to the city through the airport.[15]
On 31 January 2024, Ukrainian drones attacked an oil refinery near St. Petersburg. The Ukrainian drones and Russian air defence missiles fired to stop the attack led to all flights from the Pulkovo airport being suspended between 3:53 a.m. and 5:11 a.m.[16]
Terminals
[edit]Pulkovo 1
[edit]This historic terminal, opened in 1973, is 43,000 m2 (460,000 sq ft).[17] It was built for 6,500,000 passengers annually, but by 2008 it surpassed its maximum capacity.[18] Since its reconstruction was completed in 2014, this terminal is now used for all passenger flights, domestic and international. It has several duty-free shops, restaurants, and 6 jet bridges. It was reported that when the reconstruction of Pulkovo 1 is completed, Pulkovo Airport's capacity would increase to 17,000,000 passengers annually.
Terminal 1
[edit]Construction of Terminal 1 was delayed several times but finally began in 2010.[citation needed] 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.[17] 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 http://line-stargadget.ru/ Archived 2022-08-09 at the Wayback Machine a sense of thriving culture to passengers. Four sculptures from Dmitry Shorin's project named I Believe in Angels decorate the departure hall.[19][20]
The current Pulkovo-1 terminal includes the new terminal and the old Soviet terminal that was re-constructed and fully converted into the departure area.
Airlines and destinations
[edit]Due to the impact of aviation in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, destinations to the European Union, United Kingdom, Australasia, North America, Switzerland, Singapore, Northeast Asia, Taiwan, Iceland and Norway are suspended until further notice.
Statistics
[edit]Annual traffic
[edit]Year | Passengers | % Change |
---|---|---|
2004 | 4,337,749 | |
2005 | 4,654,405 | 7.3% |
2006 | 5,101,842 | 9.6% |
2007 | 6,137,805 | 20% |
2008 | 7,071,537 | 15.2% |
2009 | 6,758,352 | −4.4% |
2010 | 8,443,753 | 25% |
2011 | 9,610,767 | 14% |
2012 | 11,154,560 | 16% |
2013 | 12,854,366 | 15.2% |
2014 | 14,264,732 | 11% |
2015 | 13,500,125 | −5.3% |
2016 | 13,300,000 | −1.4% |
2017 | 16,125,520 | 21.2% |
2018 | 18,122,286 | 12.4% |
2019 | 19,581,262 | 8.1% |
2020 | 10,944,421 | −45.1% |
2021 | 18,043,464 | 64.8% |
2022 | 18,140,100 | 0.6% |
Route statistics
[edit]Rank | City | Region | Airports | Number of passengers |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Moscow | Moscow Moscow Oblast |
Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo | 5,051,518 |
2 | Simferopol | Republic of Crimea | Simferopol Airport | 653,844 |
3 | Sochi | Krasnodar Krai | Adler–Sochi International Airport | 567,827 |
4 | Kaliningrad | Kaliningrad Oblast | Khrabrovo Airport | 511,520 |
5 | Yekaterinburg | Sverdlovsk Oblast | Koltsovo Airport | 417,011 |
6 | Krasnodar | Krasnodar Krai | Pashkovsky Airport | 409,758 |
7 | Novosibirsk | Novosibirsk Oblast | Tolmachevo Airport | 382,849 |
8 | Arkhangelsk | Arkhangelsk Oblast | Talagi Airport | 329,233 |
9 | Rostov-on-Don | Rostov Oblast | Rostov-on-Don Airport | 308,118 |
10 | Murmansk | Murmansk Oblast | Murmansk Airport | 306,564 |
Rank | City | Country | Airports | Number of passengers |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Minsk | Belarus | Minsk National Airport | 292,044 |
2 | Tashkent | Uzbekistan | Tashkent International Airport | 132,785 |
3 | Samarkand | Uzbekistan | Samarkand Airport | 100,255 |
4 | Chișinău | Moldova | Chișinău International Airport | 95,698 |
5 | Dushanbe | Tajikistan | Dushanbe International Airport | 86,430 |
6 | Almaty | Kazakhstan | Almaty International Airport | 82,605 |
7 | Yerevan | Armenia | Zvartnots International Airport | 60,570 |
8 | Urgench | Uzbekistan | Urgench International Airport | 57,274 |
9 | Nur-Sultan | Kazakhstan | Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport | 52,319 |
10 | Osh | Kyrgyzstan | Osh Airport | 51,593 |
Rank | City | Country | Airports | Number of passengers |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Antalya | Turkey | Antalya Airport | 893,927 |
2 | Frankfurt | Germany | Frankfurt Airport | 273,017 |
3 | Munich | Germany | Munich Airport | 248,291 |
4 | Paris | France | Charles de Gaulle Airport | 245,952 |
5 | Larnaca | Cyprus | Larnaca International Airport | 225,943 |
6 | Helsinki | Finland | Helsinki Airport | 209,890 |
7 | Riga | Latvia | Riga International Airport | 194,248 |
8 | Prague | Czech Republic | Václav Havel Airport Prague | 186,845 |
9 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | Dubai International Airport | 186,428 |
10 | Rome–Fiumicino | Italy | Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport | 169,637 |
Investors
[edit]Northern Capital Gateway (NCG) began managing the airport in 2009.[66]
The airport's website lists the companies currently participating alongside NCG:[66]
"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.[67][68] 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.[69]
In November 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree temporarily removing foreign investors from managing the airport. They will retain their shares, but the votes will be controlled by two Russian companies - NCG Holding and Advanced Industrial and Infrastructure Technologies-7.[70]
Ground transportation
[edit]Pulkovo Airport is served by the city buses:
- No.39 and No.39Ex. to the metro station "Moskovskaya" on line M2;
- No. 82Ex. to the metro station "Prospekt Veteranov" on line M1.
For private car travel, Pulkovo Airport is accessible via the nearby Pulkovo Highway (Pulkovskoe shosse) from Saint Petersburg city center.
Accidents and incidents
[edit]- 27 April 1974, an Ilyushin Il-18V passenger aircraft of Aeroflot flying to Krasnodar crashed right after takeoff from Pulkovo after an engine fire. All 108 passengers and 10 crew members died. It eventually came to be known as the 1974 Leningrad Aeroflot Il-18 crash.
See also
[edit]- List of the busiest airports in Russia
- List of the busiest airports in Europe
- List of the busiest airports in the former USSR
References
[edit]- ^ "Fraport Traffic Figures December 2022" (PDF; 246 KB). fraport.com. Fraport AG. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ "Объемы перевозок через аэропорты России" [Transportation volumes at Russian airports]. www.favt.ru (in Russian). Federal Air Transport Agency. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ a b c "About the Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ "About Us – STC Russia". Rossiya Airlines. Archived from the original on 2009-06-29. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ "Pulkovo Airport – About – History". 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ "Pulkovo – About – History – 1930s". 2010. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ "Pulkovo – About – History – 40s". 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ "Pulkovo – About – History – 1970s". 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ "Pulkovo – About – History – 1970s". 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ "History of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ ES (2019-09-18). "St Petersburg airport to trial open-skies project". Russian Aviation Insider. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ "The prospect of open skies in St Petersburg sparks excitement around Europe". www.eurasiatimes.org. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ Kateryna Zakharchenko (31 January 2024). "Kyiv Confirms Drone Attack on St. Petersburg Oil Refinery, Claims UAV Dodged Russia's Best Air Defense". The Kyiv Post.
- ^ a b "Information report on final moving of international flights from Pulkovo-2 to the new Terminal-1 of Pulkovo Airport". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ "Pulkovo – Airport Indicators". 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Dmitry Shorin. I Believe in Angels". The Wall Street Journal. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ "Pulkovo Airoprt art and architecture projects page". Archived from the original on 2014-03-07. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Liu, Jim (23 September 2024). "Aeroflot Adds St. Petersburg – Bangkok Service From late-Oct 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Aeroflot Adds St. Petersburg – Egypt Routes in NW23". AeroRoutes. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Aeroflot Expands Phuket Network in NW23". AeroRoutes. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ "Air Cairo Adds Southwind 550-seater Boeing 777 Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Авиакомпания Азимут начала программу полетов из Пулково в Тбилиси". azimuth.ru. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "TUI Flight Program". agent.tui.ru. Archived from the original on 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ Liu, Jim (15 August 2019). "Azur Air schedules new long-haul service from St. Petersburg from late-Oct 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "Belavia Adds Gomel – St. Petersburg From late-March 2024". AeroRoutes. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "For the first time, flights from Pulkovo Airport to Shanghai will become daily". pulkovoairport.ru. Air Gate of the Northern Capital. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ "Etihad NS25 Service Expansion – 13SEP24".
- ^ "flydubai launches daily flights to St Petersburg". Trade Arabia.
- ^ "Georgian Airways Resumes 2 Russian Routes in Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "St. Petersburg resumes direct flights to Beijing". Globalink. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ "PEGASUS NS23 NETWORK ADDITIONS – 16APR23". aeroroutes.com. 18 April 2023.
- ^ "Pegasus'tan Rusya'da yeni uçuş noktası! | Turizm Ajansı | Turizm Haberleri | Turizm Gazetesi".
- ^ a b c Liu, Jim (22 August 2019). "Pobeda expands St. Petersburg network in Sep/Oct 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Pobeda expands domestic network Sep/Oct 2018". Routesonline. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ Liu, Jim (19 February 2018). "Pobeda schedules Kaliningrad launch in S18". Routesonline. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ ""Победа" запускает прямые рейсы из Перми в Санкт-Петербург". Properm.ru. Городской портал Перми. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ ""Победа" начнет летать из саратовского аэропорта "Гагарин" в Санкт-Петербург". TASS. 22 August 2019.
- ^ a b Liu, Jim (9 November 2016). "Pobeda expands St. Petersburg network in W16". Routesonline. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ^ Liu, Jim (31 July 2024). "Qanot Sharq Moscow Service Changes From August 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Red Wings Adds St. Petersburg – Batumi From June 2024". AeroRoutes. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Liu, Jim (5 September 2024). "Red Wings Expands Kaluga Network in NW24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Российская Red Wings планирует выполнять в Грузию 23 рейса в неделю". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "В Петербурге запустят прямые авиарейсы в крупнейший город Казахстана". Фонтанка.ру (in Russian). 4 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Aeroflot Expands Dubai al Maktoum Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ a b Liu, Jim (3 October 2024). "Aeroflot Nov 2024 Domestic Network Additions". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Aeroflot/Rossiya Adds Moscow Domodedovo – St. Petersburg Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "Рейсов из аэропорта Стригино в Санкт-Петербург станет больше". goj.aero. Strigino Airport PSC. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ ""Россия" открывает полеты из Москвы в Волгоград". www.rossiya-airlines.com (in Russian). «Rossiya airlines» JSC. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Flight renewal on the direction Kotlas - Saint Petersburg until the end of November". www.rusline.aero. Airline "RusLine". Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ ""РусЛайн" с 15 декабря возобновляет рейс Ярославль- Санкт-Петербург // АвиаПорт.Новости". www.aviaport.ru. Агентство «АвиаПорт». 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ ЭШКИНИНА, ВАЛЕРИЯ (1 October 2023). "Взлетная полоса аэропорта Йошкар-Олы закрылась на ремонт". Общественно-политическое сетевое издание «Марийская правда». Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "S7 Airlines flight schedule". www.s7.ru. S7 Airlines.
- ^ Liu, Jim (6 January 2019). "S7 Airlines S19 Domestic network addition as of 04JAN19". Routesonline. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Sichuan Airlines NS24 Russia Service Increases". AeroRoutes. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Оренбуржцы смогут летать прямыми рейсами "Смартавиа" в Санкт-Петербург | Новости Оренбурга". prooren.ru (in Russian). 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Southwind is born: Turkey creates airline targeting Russian tourists". 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Southwind is preparing to fly to Antalya from five cities of Russia". 1 August 2022.
- ^ "Istanbul's New Airport Is A Hot Beautiful Mess". One Mile at a Time. April 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Больше рейсов в Фергану и Наманган!". AeroTur (in Russian). Official website for Uzbekistan Airways tickets sales, supported by Aerotur LLC. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Uzbekistan Airways запускает регулярные рейсы из Карши в Санкт-Петербург". uzdaily (in Russian). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Jim Liu, Jim (16 December 2016). "Yamal adds St. Petersburg – Novy Urengoy in 1Q17". Routesonline. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ a b c "Airport Indicators". MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS. Northern Capital Gateway LLC. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ a b "About the Airport". www.pulkovoairport.ru. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
- ^ "Fraport sells stake in St Petersburg airport to Qatar". Reuters. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
- ^ "Qatar Investment Authority buys stake in Russian airport". Doha News. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
- ^ "Board of Directors". www.pulkovoairport.ru. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
- ^ "Иностранных владельцев Пулково отстранили от управления. Что это значит". RBC (in Russian). 2023-12-02.
External links
[edit]Media related to Pulkovo Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Official site (in English and Russian)
- Current weather for ULLI at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for LED at Aviation Safety Network