Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 27 will inaugurate the newly built Saratov Gagarin International Airport, a project of leading Turkish builder, ESTA Construction.
In a statement, the company said the airport is located in Saratov, a city on the upstream shores of the Volga. It is named after the famous Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human to venture into the outer space. Gagarin landed at the old Saratov Airport after his journey to space on April 12, 1961.
The structure harmonizes modern architecture and history, proving it to be an architectural attraction. The Gagarin International Airport is the second airport in Russia to have been constructed from scratch after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Since the old airport was located close to the city center, its enlargement was not deemed possible and the Saratov authorities in 2008 decided to build a brand new airport.
ESTA Construction noted that the airport also has a space museum and incorporates a technological infrastructure that makes every passenger feel like a cosmonaut. With a capacity to serve 1 million passengers, the airport covers an area of 43,147 square meters.
Gagarin International Airport welcomed its first flight Thursday when a Pobeda Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft touched down carrying politicians and VIPs from Moscow's Vnukoko International Airport. Ranked 159th among the world's largest construction companies, ESTA Construction previously built the Krasnodar Arena, one of the most luxurious football stadiums in Europe, and German carmaker Mercedes' first manufacturing plant in Russia. The project was worth more than 250 million euros ($276.59 million).
