Rostov on Don Airport

History

In 1925, an airfield was constructed near Rostov-on-Don. A plot of 120 acres of land was allocated for it in the fields of one of Rostov-on-Don's suburbs. A house for the airport's head and the staff, as well as fuel storage facilities, were constructed there. A paved road connected the airport with the city. On 15 June 1925 the first route (Rostov-Kharkov-Oryol-Moscow) was launched. During the first three months, only 80 passengers were serviced, but in those days it was considered a success. In 1926 Rostov became a stopover for a high-demand route from Moscow to Tiflis. In the 1930s the first terminal building was constructed. During World War II the airport was destroyed.

In the post-war years, Rostov airport had to be restored from the ruins. By 1949 a runway of 2,000m, the terminal building, apron and taxiways were constructed and the airport was re-launched. The current airport terminal was constructed in 1977. The same year, the airport's runway was strengthened and lengthened by 500m. In 1986, Rostov was designated an international airport, and scheduled international flights were launched in 1991. In 1992 the airport joined Airports Council International, the worldwide professional association of airport operators.

In 2000s the airport was reconstructed, its runway was strengthened and lengthened from 2,500m to 2,700m and a new departure hall with 300 seats was constructed. In 2006–2007, modernization and expansion (for 200 more seats) of the international sector of the airport was carried out, including the installation of new passenger elevators and escalators as well as new luggage conveyor and equipment for customs control. In 2007, a renewed VIP hall was opened. In 2009, a new flight information system with 49 monitors was installed. The airport's security was upgraded, including the installation of a new CCTV system and screening equipment at the terminal's entrances. In 2012 the airport's catering service was upgraded to provide up to 3000 flight meals a day.

In 2007 passenger traffic exceeded 1 million people, and by 2013 this number had doubled. In 2014, Rostov Airport was taken over by Airports of Regions, the largest airport operator in Russia.

A new airport is due to be constructed in Rostov-on-Don by the end of 2017, for the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Infrastructure

The airport meets International Civil Aviation Organization 4D standards. It has one concrete runway, 04/22, PCN 59/R/C/W/T, 2,500 m (8,200 ft) long and 45 m (148 ft) wide. The minimum visibility for take-off is 200 m.

The airport is certified to handle aircraft up to the size of the Airbus A321 and Boeing 767, as well as any types of helicopters. It has an apron with 53 parking positions and total area of 449,780 sq.m.

A terminal building, constructed in 1977, provides an operational area of 15,537 sq.m. It can serve 600 passengers per hour on domestic routes, and 450 passengers per hour on international routes.

Incidents and accidents

On 19 March 2016, at 3:42 AM local time, Flydubai Flight 981, a Boeing 737-800 on a passenger flight from Dubai, while executing a go-around, crashed at a high angle and speed by the end of Runway 22. All 62 people aboard died in the crash. The crash damaged 350 sq.meters of the airport's only runway and destroyed ten runway lights. The airport was closed down for several days for the air crash investigation's field survey and the runway repairment. The circumstances and reasons of the crash are still to be determined by the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee, with the participation of the airline's specialists and foreign experts, who continue the investigative actions in the airport.