09 January 2014

Demand for Sochi heats up

Since the turn of the year we have seen a noticeable increase in demand for private flights to Sochi Airport for the 2014 Winter Olympics. See example prices.

Many private jet flights are booked at short notice – it’s in the nature of our industry. But as with other major global sporting events, market demand will be at a peak for flights to Sochi during February and March. To ensure aircraft availability and slots, we’re encouraging clients to plan arrangements as far in advance as they can.

Special procedures are already now in place since the start of January, and will remain in force until the end of April, during both the Olympics and Paralympics. Landing slots and permissions at Sochi Airport will be very limited and parking will be available only for governmental flights, members of the Olympics committee and major sponsors.

It’s expected that most flights will be granted a maximum turnaround of two hours on ground, for the boarding or disembarkation of passengers. This won’t really impact passengers, but will cause some extra administration for the aircraft operators.

As with other peak demand days, these parking limitations will mean that most aircraft will have to use alternative airports for parking. The official alternative airport is Krasnodar (URKK) which is 100 nm (nautical miles) to the north. But there are only 50 aircraft parking places there. So parking spaces are already being booked at other overflow airports in the region, including the following:

Gelendzhik (URKG) – 125 nm
Anapa (URKA) – 146 nm
Stavrapol (URMT) – 150 nm
Rostov (URRR) – 160 nm

It’s also likely that we’ll see increased parking business for other airports such as Kiev, Istanbul and Athens – all within a 90-minute flight from Sochi.

Customs and border control will not be available in Sochi for business aviation, so flights will be planned with en-route stops at other Russian airports with immigration control – whether nearby Krasnodar or any Russian international airport which accepts private jets. Both crews and passengers will have to make visa arrangements in advance, allowing more time than usual.

More than 200 daily movements for business aviation are expected in Sochi airport during the Olympics – 70 times higher than usual.

This will inevitably prove a challenge to flight handling, with limited ground and refuelling services at Sochi, as well as the likelihood of de-icing services needed for large numbers of aircraft.

For more information see flight prices to Sochi from London, Moscow & Geneva. Our 24-hour flight team can give further advice and pricing for your itinerary. Contact us or call +44 1747 642 777.

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