Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Gave an Excellent Mark to Koltsovo Airport in Ekaterinburg

15.06.2009 — News

THE SVERDLOVSK OBLAST.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Ekaterinburg on 15 June 2009 to participate in the SCO and BRIC summits. He was impressed by the new air traffic control tower in Koltsovo airport. From an air traffic control officer's work area he could observe the flight of the Ilyushin-62 presidential backup plane.

The new air traffic control tower, which was commissioned on 1 June, will serve as a benchmark for 10-15 similar control towers to be built in large Russian airports. It is equipped with an automatic air traffic system that can help predict the development of air traffic situation. RusBusinessNews was told that local air traffic control officers now control the air traffic in 6 Russian regions that are located at distances of up to 800 kilometres from Ekaterinburg.

Reconstruction of one of the airstrips enables Koltsovo airport to accommodate all types of aircraft. On 14 June, a Boeing 747 landed in Ekaterinburg for the first time - the Air China aircraft that brought Hu Jintao, President of the People's Republic of China, to the summit. The maximum airport capacity has increased to up to 40 airplanes per hour even in complicated weather conditions.

According to Dmitry Medvedev, the modernized Koltsovo airport is a promising future, and work must be done so that these high standards were measured up to everywhere.