OREANDA-NEWS. March 12, 2010. The Gelendzhik airport in the Krasnodar territory will open for passenger flights by May 15, airport director Irina Lyashova said.

A flight, which tested the runway and boarding services, took place last year, and exposed shortcomings were eliminated, she said.

"So far, passengers will use a temporary terminal with the hourly capacity of 140 passengers," Lyashova said. The main terminal will be ready in 2013 ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games 2014. The Russian Transport Ministry and the Federal Air Transport Service ordered the construction of the airport, and Basel invested in the terminal.

The runway was ready in late 2008. It is 3,100 meters long and 60 meters wide and can service various kinds of aircraft.

Ten airlines of Russia are ready to perform 57 flights per week or eight flights per day.

"The Gelendzhik airport is Russia's only new airport in the past 15-20 years. It will nearly double the flow of tourists headed for the Russian Black Sea coast in the Novorossiisk, Gelendzhik and Tuapse zone," Gelendzhik administration head Viktor Khrestin said.