OREANDA-NEWS  The buyer of 100% of the shares of Oskanov Magas International Airport JSC in Ingushetia was a company from the Wildberries structure, Apr-City/TVD LLC, said the head of the republic, Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov.

"We purposefully took this step, realizing that serious investments are needed for the further development of the airport. Initially, the shares were valued at 250 million rubles, but according to the results of the auction, in which the two companies participated, the transaction price reached 425 million rubles. The funds will be used to implement social programs in our republic," he wrote.

He added that this strategic partnership opens up new horizons for the development of Ingushetia's transport infrastructure and economy.

"Wildberries is a large and successful player in the market, and we are confident that their investments will modernize the airport, significantly improve its infrastructure, increase capacity and security. We look forward to opening new aviation destinations, including international ones, which will undoubtedly give an impetus to the development of tourism in our region and create new jobs," said the head of Ingushetia.

The Ingush authorities had previously decided to sell 100% of Magas International Airport JSC at auction due to the difficult economic situation.

Magas airport is currently operating in conditions of limited traffic - there is only one scheduled flight per day in the direction of Magas-Moscow. Attempts were made to increase the number of destinations, but they had a temporary effect: until 2022, the airport served flights to St. Petersburg, Samara, Tyumen, Sochi and Petrozavodsk. Subsequently, due to changes in the aviation market, many airlines reduced their fleets and revised their routes, including canceling flights to a number of regional airports, including Magas. Because of this, the airport once again found itself in a difficult economic situation.

The maintenance of the facility cost the republican budget about 100 million rubles annually.

It was also reported that the airport is unable to ensure its own development. Key infrastructure is outdated and in need of major repairs. The need to purchase modern inspection and other specialized equipment is estimated at at least 55 million rubles. There is also no own refueling complex, which negatively affects operational efficiency. The main assets - the runway and airfield equipment - are federally owned and used by the airport on a lease basis.

Magas Airport was granted international status by order of the Government of the Russian Federation in mid-December 2021. Every year, within the framework of the Hajj program, flights for pilgrims to Saudi Arabia are carried out from Magas.

According to the airport's website, the airport's artificial runway has a capacity of 5 aircraft per hour. The possible number of passengers served is 150 people per hour. The possible volume of cargo processing is 100 tons per hour.

In 2024, the airport's passenger traffic exceeded 157 thousand people (an increase of 8% compared to the previous year).

Apr-City/TVD LLC was registered in Moscow in 2003. The company specializes in the activities of advertising agencies. According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, RVB LLC (the combined company Wildberries & Russ) owns 100% of the shares.

The combined Wildberries&Rus company manages more than 135 logistics facilities with a total area of over 3.5 million square meters.