New routes to Crimea appear as an ultra-modern airport is opened on Monday.
Olga Armyakova reports with the details from Crimea.
An elegant, unique, and, most importantly, hospitable wave is coming over Crimea. There is no doubt from the first moment, it's definitely a resort. The vacation begins here, on the crest of the Crimean wave.
"Crimea is changing and growing. It's becoming so beautiful. Our industries are growing, and they're building a bridge, so we'll have more visitors. Everything is great".
"The terminal has a unique design featuring 146 distinct waves. It takes your breath away when you approach the terminal".
"We haven't seen everything yet, but we're already impressed. As soon as we got here, we saw how beautiful it is".
For Crimea, it's an unprecedented project. It was built from scratch in an open field and in record time — only 2 years. Just look at the terminal's façade, all the lines are unique. These swan-necks create the illusion of waves. The new terminal is controlled by a SmartHome-like system. The fully automated system controls the temperature, humidity, and light levels. It has everything you need. Crimea has never had such a high level of comfort.
This is the largest airport in Southern Russia. You can see it in the archive footage. The first flight from Simferopol to Moscow was over 80 years ago. The flight lasted almost 12 hours back then. The passengers were greeted in a small air terminal building. Right now, people from all over the country are flying to Crimea via the new terminal.
This is a unique baggage handling system which was manufactured in Russia for the first time in history, its total length is almost 2 km. Its throughput capacity is almost 5,000 bags per hour, which means that dozens of flights can be serviced at the same time. Over the past 4 years, the passenger flow has increased fivefold. The old airport building simply couldn't handle such loads. The new terminal can accept over 6,000,000 tourists annually. They haven't had such results even in the best Soviet years.
Evgeny Plaksin, the CEO of the Simferopol International Airport: "Our main message to the passengers was that, upon arrival or departure, our guests should consider staying in Crimea and visiting the calm, soothing Black Sea, which should greet them and see them off".
The Crimean Bridge is also being prepared for the busy season. They're turning on the lights along the Kerch Strait. This way, they're making sure it'll be bright and safe at nighttime. The size of this grand construction site is clearly visible from the air along with the two of the country's shores now connected by a 19-km-long transport corridor. This is probably the most scenic bridge in the country. Where else will you bump into a pod of dolphins? They monitor their habitat very closely.
Another masterpiece is cooked up at the Crimean Bridge construction site's kitchen. It's a two-layer asphalt pie, very fresh and still hot. The secret of this signature dish is a special bituminous additive, it's a special substance that makes the pavement durable, long-lasting, and resistant to deformation and cracks. This will truly be a next-generation road. Where the first piles were inserted two years ago, asphalt is being laid right now. The longest bridge in the country is being built at an incredible rate. Nothing has ever been built in such harsh conditions. Only our specialists can handle something like this.
Arkady Rotenberg, the Chairman of the Board at Stroygazmontazh: "We've had many difficulties, everyone has had a job to do, and they've done it very well. They told me about it a long time ago when I didn't even dream of anything like this. I never thought I'd be a part of such a grand project as the Crimean Bridge. It's my dream to drive across this bridge. It would make me very happy".
Now, the entire country dreams of driving across the Crimean Bridge, too. It will be open for traffic in May; 6 months ahead of schedule. However, it seems like the workers have even more stuff to do now. Here, they're installing highway sound barriers and guardrails. They're already applying highway striping onto some sections. The Kerch Strait transport passage isn't just a bridge. It's an entire road network, which is being built at breakneck speeds. They haven't had such roads in Crimea yet. This incredible construction project will radically change the peninsula's transport infrastructure. The highway construction project is a 24/7 process. It will be the key highway for cargo delivery and tourist arrivals. The 240-km Taurida Highway will lie on the shortest and fastest route running from east to west through the entire peninsula. It will have two lanes and it's scheduled to be opened at the end of the year.
Olga Armyakova, Konstantin Morozov, Nikita Kachenko. Vesti News of the Week, Republic of Crimea.
