Moscow Region Looking for Investors for Fourth Airport

Plans are on the table for Moscow to develop the Ramenskoe Test Airfield into the fourth regional airport and the city are on the lookout for investors for the project.

Planners want to have a multi-functional centre, with facilities for International passengers and low cost airlines by 2015 and expanding capacity to 10 million passengers per year by the end of 2019.

The plans have an estimated cost of 7 billion rubles, or $214 million for the airfield development, well known for hosting the MAKS International Aviation and Space Show.  Ramenskoe airfield has been in operation since 1941 and has one of longest runways in Europe at 5,402 metres in length, enabling them to accept any type of aircraft with no weight restrictions.

The airfield was used during the Second World War having ground-attack and long range aircraft based there.  Many Russian aircraft have been tested there and today it houses aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior and Federal Security Service.

Investors are invited to bid under strict requirements – 25% minimum shares should be traded on the stock exchange; investors should not be affiliated with any airline operating regular passenger and cargo traffic; investors should not be an aircraft manufacturer and the company should have previous airport infrastructure construction.

Interest has already been attracted in the project, with three of the largest Russian private airport holdings.  Requirements are tight, as investors must also hold international certificates such as maintenance of foreign aircraft and passenger handling.

It is an exciting project and highlights the fast pace of the growing industry.  It is thought by some that the project may turn out to be designed for charter flights and growth in business aviation might suggest that to be a prudent measure.

Many companies are supportive of the emergence of Russia’s growing aviation sector.  ARINC have a focus with a Russian language website dedicated to the provision of critical Type B messaging.