Gelendzhik is like Africa: tickets to the newly opened southern airport shocked

After a three-year break, the Gelendzhik airport is opening — this was announced by the Ministry of Transport. But before vacationers had time to rejoice, it turned out that the flight to Gelendzhik now takes as long as it used to take to get to the African resorts of Egypt and Tunisia — from 4 hours. But the prices exceed some tours to Africa — the cheapest one-way ticket without luggage today costs 50.2 thousand rubles.

The route to Gelendzhik will no longer be the same — this explains the doubling of the flight time (before the closure of the southern air harbors, the flight from the capital to this resort city took a little over 2 hours) by the airlines that are going to resume it. So far, there are three such carriers and all of them have received a NOTAM (notice to flight personnel) from the Federal Air Transport Agency, ordering them to change the route trajectory due to safety requirements. And the safe trajectory is such that now it takes almost half an hour longer to fly from the capital to Gelendzhik than to Sochi, although it is closer to Moscow by as much as 100 km.

- We will actually fly first to Sochi, and from there along the sea back to Gelendzhik, so it will take double the time, - a flight attendant from one of the carriers approved for Gelendzhik flights, whose crews have already received instructions, shares on condition of anonymity. - At the same time, the return route will be different. The reference point is Tuapse, but the further trajectory may vary in accordance with the situation and recommendations. Therefore, each aircraft must have a reserve of fuel, so that, if necessary, it can go to an alternate airfield.

Pilots share that Moscow-Gelendzhik flights are permitted only during daylight hours (from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Crews are also warned that failures in the operation of satellite navigation systems and "other obstacles" are possible.

- The takeoff run has been shortened (the length of the runway has been reduced - author ), there is a topic of wandering (in pilot jargon, to fly with lost orientation - author ), the takeoff run has been shortened, do not take off in the direction of the mountains, accept only during daylight hours, no more than 30 aircraft daily, make a detour over the sea, which is longer for passengers and more expensive for the airline, - the crew members share the innovations of the air harbor opened after a three-year break, at the same time noting that "there are so many restrictions and conditions that it is easier not to fly to Gelendzhik at all."

Meanwhile, Russian vacationers have already calculated that before the pandemic, a flight to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh took 4 hours, and air tickets to both resorts from Moscow cost around 10 thousand rubles (one way, price for 2018). Today, the cheapest of the tickets found by inquisitive vacationers, Moscow-Gelendzhik, costs 50 thousand 200 rubles - one way and without luggage. That is, round trip and with luggage, it is approaching 150 thousand rubles per person. But even at such prices and with an indication of the likelihood of alternate airfields, navigation failures and "other obstacles", tickets to Gelendzhik are melting away before our eyes. And only by autumn do they become cheaper to 18 thousand rubles one way.

- For three years, it was impossible to fly anywhere except Adler, - a family of Muscovites answers the question of whether they feel cheated, having bought four round-trip tickets and paid half a million rubles for them. - Of course, a domestic flight at the price of not just an international flight, but at the price of an entire tour, and in conditions when people are short of money, is crazy. But since the tickets were sold out, apparently everyone found their own reason. My husband and I have a simple one and it pays for the expenses: we have a house near Gelendzhik, where we annually move our elderly parents for the summer. And over the years we have tried everything: by car, by train, by taxi from Adler... But all this is very difficult for elderly people. A flight, even if it doubles in time, is still easier for our old people to bear. And once we get there, we will not have any special expenses, we have a quiet corner far from tourist places and our own vegetable garden.

There were also those who were ready to “go to Gelendzhik at any cost”:

- I want to relax in my home country, on my home sea, - says Artem from Voronezh. - Even if the flight there is longer and more expensive than abroad.

In the process, however, it turns out that Artem himself can’t even scrape together enough money for a one-way flight, and with his statements he’s trying to attract the revived health resort of his native enterprise, where distinguished employees are rewarded by paying half the cost of a trip to that very Gelendzhik, including the revived flight.

For the above reasons, the statements of domestic tour operators that "the resumption of the resort's air harbor will not lead to an additional increase in the price of tours to Gelendzhik itself, or to the neighboring Tuapse region and Anapa" are credible. Firstly, tours to the named places, according to the Russian Union of Travel Industry and the Association of Tour Operators of the Russian Federation, have already increased in price by 12-13% by the peak of the season. And secondly, they are all sold out and there is simply nothing left to increase in price.