In Crimea they are arguing about a new airport again
In Crimea, disputes have resumed about the resumption of operation of the Belbek airport near Sevastopol, which could duplicate Simferopol in case of bad weather in the capital of the republic.
“Does Sevastopol need its own airport at Belbek? People who have had all their plans disrupted today due to the cancellation of all flights at Simferopol airport can answer you. Someone won’t fly away on vacation because they won’t catch the flight from Moscow to Prague. Someone will miss a work meeting. And someone may fly for a consultation with a doctor who is not on the peninsula.
These people will answer you - “Yes! Sevastopol should have its own airport.” In our city there is now sunshine and normal flying weather. And in Simferopol there is fog and an incomprehensible prospect of departure for hundreds of people. And such situations are repeated with enviable regularity, up to 2-3 times a week,” State Duma deputy Dmitry Belik wrote in his blog last weekend.
“I talked about this from the very beginning, starting in 14, that Sevastopol urgently needs a civil airport. Including for security reasons. The day before yesterday there were problems in Simferopol, there were long delays. Yesterday I flew to Moscow, the airport workers told me about it. And in Sevastopol the weather was excellent. Another thing is that economically, in a conversation with employees of the Ministry of Economic Development, their main argument is that now the Tavrida highway and the Simferopol airport are sufficient for now, so spending public money, about another 10 billion, is inappropriate. My arguments are as follows: there should be an airport in a city of federal significance. The second is safety. And thirdly, the flow will be significant, almost the entire Southern Coast of Crimea can be closed with Belbek,” Sevastopol politician and businessman Oleg Nikolaev tells PolitNavigator.
Crimean political scientist Andrei Nikiforov criticizes the idea of opening a second airport in Sevastopol.
“I believe that when you have an airport a hundred kilometers away, it hardly makes sense to build it a few kilometers closer. But, as I understand, for the residents of Sevastopol, at least for many of them, this is not so much a matter of expediency as of a certain prestige. To have everything of your own, even if it’s frail and dead, but your own - this is an important point for some, because many in the city cannot afford it. If you are guided by these reasons, you can pile up a lot of things. The only question is who should pay for all this,” Nikiforov said.
Former Minister of Transport of Crimea Anatoly Tsurkin believes that an airport in Sevastopol can be built if businessmen invest money in the project.
“Sevastopol, as a city of federal significance, as a separate entity, can naturally hatch such plans on its own. But the distance between the Simferopol terminal and Sevastopol is 80 kilometers, where all access roads will exist, including the Tavrida highway... Sevastopol should probably have its own airport, but the issue of its construction is a matter of investment activity. In particular, the government of the Russian Federation has several times drawn attention to the fact that it will not be against the construction of an airport - engage in investment projects, look for an investor and build this airport. From the “should/shouldn’t” questions – if it is possible and there are people ready to build and operate it on a commercial basis, then why not? I think all Sevastopol residents will be happy,” Tsurkin said.
Crimea is once again debating over a new airport.