Flights to Gelendzhik: 4 Hours and 50 Thousand Rubles
Following a three-year closure, Gelendzhik airport is set to reopen, as announced by the Ministry of Transport. However, vacationers` initial excitement quickly turned to shock. Flying to Gelendzhik now takes as long as previous trips to African resorts in Egypt and Tunisia – over 4 hours. Furthermore, the prices exceed many tours to Africa; the cheapest one-way ticket without baggage currently costs 50,200 rubles.
Airlines planning to reinstate the route explain that the Gelendzhik flight path has changed, which accounts for the doubling of flight time. Before the closure of southern airports, flights from the capital to this resort town took just over 2 hours. Currently, three carriers have received NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) from Rosaviatsia, mandating altered flight trajectories for safety reasons. This new safe path is such that flying from the capital to Gelendzhik now takes almost half an hour longer than to Sochi, despite Gelendzhik being a full 100 km closer to Moscow.
«We will effectively fly first to Sochi and then back along the sea towards Gelendzhik, which is why the time doubles,» shared a flight attendant from one of the approved carriers for the Gelendzhik route, whose crews have already been briefed, speaking on condition of anonymity. «The return route will be different. Tuapse is a reference point, but the subsequent trajectory may vary according to the situation and recommendations. Therefore, each aircraft must carry extra fuel to divert to an alternate airfield if necessary.»
Pilots reported that Moscow-Gelendzhik flights are only permitted during daylight hours (from 8 am to 8 pm). Crews have also been warned about potential disruptions to satellite navigation systems and «other obstacles.»
«The runway length is reduced,» shared crew members about the changes at the airport, which is reopening after a three-year break. «There`s a risk of getting disoriented (aviation jargon for losing orientation). Don`t take off towards the mountains, it only accepts flights during daylight, no more than 30 aircraft daily, you have to make a detour over the sea, which takes longer for passengers and is more expensive for the airline.» They added that «there are so many restrictions and conditions, it might be easier not to fly to Gelendzhik at all.»
Meanwhile, Russian vacationers have calculated that before the pandemic, a 4-hour flight took them to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh, with Moscow tickets to both resorts costing within 10,000 rubles (one-way, 2018 price). Today, the cheapest Moscow-Gelendzhik ticket found by resourceful travelers is 50,200 rubles – one-way and without baggage. This means a round trip with luggage could approach 150,000 rubles per person. Yet, even at these prices and with warnings about potential alternate airfields, navigation disruptions, and «other obstacles,» Gelendzhik tickets are selling out fast. Only towards autumn do prices decrease to 18,000 rubles one-way.
«For three years, you couldn`t fly anywhere except Adler,» replied a Moscow family who bought four round-trip tickets costing half a million rubles in total when asked if they felt cheated. «Of course, a domestic flight costing not just an international flight, but a whole tour, especially in times when people are struggling financially, is crazy. But since tickets are selling out, everyone probably has their reason. Ours and my husband`s is simple and justifies the expense: we have a house near Gelendzhik where we take our elderly parents every summer. Over the years, we`ve tried everything: by car, train, taxi from Adler… But all of that is very hard on elderly people. A flight, even with doubled time, is still easier for our seniors to handle. And once we`re there, we won`t have special expenses; we have a quiet spot away from tourist places and our own little garden.»
There were also those who were ready to go to Gelendzhik «at any cost»:
«I want to vacation in my own country, on my own sea,» declared Artyom from Voronezh. «Even if flying there is longer and more expensive than going abroad.»
However, it later emerged that Artyom himself could not even afford a one-way flight. His statements are an attempt to attract support from his workplace`s revived sanatorium program, which rewards distinguished employees by covering half the cost of a trip to Gelendzhik, including the recently resumed flight.
For the reasons mentioned above, the statements by domestic tour operators that the «resumption of the resort`s airport operation will not lead to additional price increases for packages neither to Gelendzhik itself nor to the neighboring Tuapse district and Anapa» seem plausible. Firstly, according to data from the Russian Union of Travel Industry and the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, tours to these locations had already increased in price by 12-13% by the peak season. Secondly, they are already sold out, so there`s simply nothing left whose price could be increased.
