Sochi 2014 Soars Ahead With New Daily Moscow-Sochi Flights

Sochi, Russia, November 15, 2006 – The city of Sochi proved its growing appeal as a winter resort destination this week with the announcement by the Russian airline S7 that it will launch an additional daily flight between Moscow and Sochi beginning in January 2007 in response to increasing interest in winter travel to the city, adding momentum to Sochi’s bid to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Located between the palm-lined beaches of the Black Sea and the soaring, snow-capped Caucasus Mountains, Sochi has traditionally been Russia’s leading summer resort destination. With Sochi’s quest to host the Olympic Winter Games well underway, the city’s popularity as an up-and-coming winter hotspot has grown dramatically, attracting winter sport enthusiasts from around the world to take advantage of ideal snow conditions, mild winter temperatures, and miles upon miles of skiing trails.

Driving the new investment in the region is the Russian government’s recent pledge of an unprecedented US$11.7 billion under the Federal Target Programme (FTP) to develop the Sochi region into a year-round, world-class resort destination. The FTP would cover the cost of the Games if Sochi is chosen as a host city, and includes the cost of all transport upgrades to the region, including the construction of a new terminal at the Sochi International Airport, and a speed rail to connect the airport to ski resorts in the nearby mountains.

Deputy PR Director of S7 Igor Volkov commented on the growing air traffic to Sochi:

“The passenger traffic from Moscow to Sochi has increased dramatically over the last few months thanks to Sochi’s development as Russia’s major ski resort. We believe the number of visitors to Sochi will continue to grow as new sports facilities become available and expect to increase the amount of flights to satisfy the growing demand.”

When the Sochi International Airport’s new terminal begins operations, the airport is expected to handle 4 million passengers annually, up from today’s capacity of 1.5 million, solidifying Sochi’s reputation as a “Gateway to the World”.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014 Bid CEO, said:

“We recognize the importance of transport and accessibility to any Olympic Bid and welcome the announcement of new flights to Sochi. Sochi is a true gateway to the world; conveniently located near a number of European, Middle Eastern and Asian cities. Thanks to the FTP, Sochi is already on its way to becoming a modern transportation hub and will be ready to welcome the athletes, the Olympic Family and all the guests in 2014, should our city win the honour of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

From now on S7 flights will depart from Domodedovo Airport, Moscow, at 8:45 a.m., 1.10 p.m. and 4.45. p.m., and Sochi at 12.20 p.m., 4.50 p.m., and 8.20 p.m, and will use only modern A-310 and Boeing 737-500 aircrafts. As part of their promotion, S7 will continue to offer skiers and snowboarders free carriage of all winter sports equipment. Russia’s four major airline operators, Aeroflot, S7, Transaero and KrasAir, with the support of smaller airlines, run almost 20 flights between Moscow and Sochi per day.