Tolmachevo Airport Commercial and Cargo Flight Transfer Hub

Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport is based in Siberia, Russia, and serves as a transfer hub for passenger and cargo routes connecting Europe with China and South East Asia.

It is Russian holding group Novaport’s largest airport and one of the busiest in the Asian part of the Russian Federation. It provides connections for tourists visiting Moscow, Kazan and St Petersburg, from China.

The airport’s route network comprises more than 95 international and domestic destinations. In 2017, it handled more than five million passengers and was ranked eighth busiest in the Russian Federation.

Transfer hub for flights between China and Europe

The total number of transfer passengers at Tolmachevo exceeded one million in 2017, showing significant growth compared to 70,000 in 2012. Transfer traffic contributed to 20% of the total number of passengers handled in 2017, similar to Moscow’s hub airports.

To encourage Chinese visitors, Tolmachevo Airport developed a Chinese version of its website. The airport features translated information signs and terminal announcements in Chinese.

Transfer passengers arriving or departing from the People’s Republic of China totalled 65,000 in 2017, a 36% increase from the previous year. Direct passenger traffic to Tolmachevo Airport from the People’s Republic of China increased by 89% to 255,000 passengers from 135,000.

Chinese destinations include scheduled flights to Hong Kong, Beijing, Sanya, Urumchi, Harbin and Shanghai.

An agreement between the Russian Government and the People’s Republic of China on visa-free group travel has enhanced passenger traffic. By the end of 2017, a total of 24,500 passengers travelled from China to Tolmachevo under the visa-free travel directive. In June 2018, the airport was certified as China Friendly according to Russia’s programme to promote Chinese tourism.

Airport transfer hub development

Tolmachevo Airport is planning for extensive future hub development with the help of airline partners. Short-term plans include a 125,000m² passenger terminal with a ten million passenger capacity, in addition to an in-flight catering factory that will be able to produce up to 16,000 meals a day.

Tolmachevo Airport is one of the main transit stops for cargo flights between China, South East Asia and Europe. Domestic and international freight airlines serve the airport, including Cargolux, Lufthansa Cargo and AirBridgeCargo, with approximately 60 transit flights a week.

Development of the cargo service and hub is another key part of its expansion plans. The second phase of cargo terminal construction includes an 11,000m² facility.

Russian Post processing centre

The International Mail Processing Centre (IMPC) for the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Post (FSUE) was opened at Tolmachevo Airport in 2013. It enables express mail from China and South East Asia to be processed.

In 2016, the IMPC handled more than 20 million international parcels, increasing four times compared to 2015.

Further development of the airport’s logistics facilities includes a Russian Post project to construct a 48,000m² Logistics Post Centre, due to be opened in 2019. The centre has been designed as a key processing and distribution point for international mail arriving in Russia, with a capacity of one million parcels a day.

Main carrier at Tolmachevo Airport

Oneworld alliance member S7 Airlines is the main carrier at Tolmachevo Airport, which is one of its hubs. The airline operates regular flights to more than 75 destinations. Since April 2017, the airline has been operating the Embraer E-170 aircraft, connecting regional flights across 33 destinations in the eastern part of the Russian Federation.

The airline actively expands its fleet. In 2018, S7 Airlines began flying Boeing 737MAX and Airbus A 320/321neo aircraft.

The airline has been helping enhance the development of the airport as an international hub with new services. During 2017 and 2018, S7 Airlines launches regular flights to Bangkok in Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. Scheduled flights to Sanya in China and Nha Trang in Vietnam are due to begin at the end of 2018.

About Novaport Group

Novaport Group is one of the largest airport holdings in the Russian Federation. It operates at 16 airports, including Kaliningrad and Chita. The company has been implementing airport renovation and construction projects for more than ten years.

At the end of 2017, total passenger traffic at the group’s airports reached 18.4 million passengers, which forms 10% of the total number of passengers handled across the country.

The group started operating Stavropol Shpakovskoye, Vladikavkaz International and Baikal International airports in 2017.