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Pulkovo Airport to be Sold within a Year
January 13, Airport complex of Pulkovo Airline is planned to be singled out into a separate business within Federal State Unitary Airline Pulkovo and GTK Rossiya and to be privatized within a year, a source in Federal Air Transport Agency (FAVT) told Kommersant yesterday. Pulkovo is third by the volume of domestic transportation, and among its claimants are the St. Petersburg City Administration, airport connected companies and outside investors.
Let us remind you that in late December Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, following presidential decree, signed an order on measures to improve air transportation for top state officials. It prescribes, in particular, division of Pulkovo Airlines into airport and airline and joining the latter up with GTK Rossiya.
Yesterday, FAVT deputy head Aleksandr Yurchik told Kommersant that the singled out Pulkovo airport-production complex will not remain in state property. “Why make it a state enterprise if that contradicts the state policy of airport and transport separation, the official said. – Pulkovo will be privatized and put up for sale within a year.” Mr. Yurchik did not specify the dates and the price of the complex, this will be done after the property stock-taking and cadastral valuation of the land, held by Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and Rosimushchestvo (Federal Property Management Agency).
The complex will consist of two terminals, Pulkovo-1 (6 km from St. Petersburg) and Pulkovo-2 (2 km from the city) with the total area of 60,000 sq. kilometers and the passenger capacity of 3,600 people per hour. In 2003, the airport serviced 3.7 million passengers, yielding only to Sheremetevo and Domodedovo. Out of FSUA Pulkovo’s 10 billion profit in 2004, 80 percent of profit was derived from the airport complex.
Let us note, that St. Petersburg City Administration has repeatedly made claims on the air harbor.
According to a source in the administration, the latter still hopes the airport will be transferred to the city authorities. However, it is possible that private co-owners of service companies working in the airport or outside investors may also be interested in buying the complex. In particular, that may be ZAO Soveks, the monopolistic refueling company in the airport or ZAO Lenrianta, monopolist in duty free trade in Pulkovo. Besides, ZAO Renova (whose co-owner is Viktor Vekselberg), which at the moment implements a project in the Ekaterinburg Koltsovo airport, has also declared it might possibly buy new airport assets in future.
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