REUTERS
Dovhan says the only real way is to concede the airport to a private investor for its development and effective management.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Viktor Dovhan says it is planned to reconstruct a runway worth UAH 500 million (US$19 million) and construct a new terminal at Chernivtsi International Airport.
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"First, we need to attract new air carriers, because only UIA airline and one regular daily flight Chernivtsi-Kyiv are not enough for the airport development. The primary task is the capital reconstruction of the runway [estimated at UAH 500 million] to ensure the take-off and landing of large Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Second, we envisage the construction of a new terminal on the terms of public-private partnership. The only real way is to concede the airport to a private investor for its development and effective management," Dovhan wrote, as reported by Ukraine's Center for Transport Strategies (CTS).
Earlier, the CTS repoted that works were carried out in the airport's passenger terminal to improve the service of passengers in the departure zone. In particular, now the airport has modern check-in counters and a baggage carousel equipped with a weighing system. Some 160 armchairs with anti-vandal cloth have been purchased for the concourse.
In 2017, the airport served a total of 48,211 passengers, which was 3.8 times up from 2013, when the company reached a historic high in passenger traffic over Ukraine's independence. The largest number of passengers (40,200 people) used domestic flights in 2017. Passenger traffic on international routes amounted to only 7,900 people. The increase in passenger traffic by 280.4% allowed Chernivtsi airport to become the leader among other Ukrainian airports in 2017.