The construction of a new terminal at the Baikal airport in Buryatia is raising serious questions and criticism in the Far Eastern media. The business analytical publication Far Eastern Review is certainly not Babr, but even their experts have realized that the Baikal airport is at risk of inefficient use of budget funds.
The start date of the work was repeatedly postponed, and only in 2023, four years after the originally announced date, did construction finally start. However, the investment amount (three billion rubles) during this time was not adjusted for inflation and rising prices, which raises reasonable doubts among colleagues about the adequacy of the allocated funds. As experts calculated, the amount should have increased by one and a half times, up to 4.6 billion rubles. And this entire holiday was 70% paid for by a preferential loan from VEB.RF.
Dmitry GarmaevThe main investor in the project is a notorious billionaire Roman Trotsenkoowner of the Novaport holding.
It is noteworthy that Mr. Trotsenko was sanctioned by the European Union for supporting the Russian government. This circumstance has already had a negative impact on the reconstruction, making it difficult to purchase the necessary imported equipment and forcing the purchase of Chinese and Belarusian analogues at inflated prices.
The airport's general director, Dmitry Garmayev, is more concerned with building relationships with influential patrons than with genuine concern for passengers. At the height of summer traffic, the airport greets tourists with stuffiness, traffic jams in the parking lot, and a lack of basic amenities. And at this time, Garmayev invents dubious schemes for making a profit, such as paid parking, forcing people to stuck in the queue for entry, pay for services not rendered.
Roman TrotsenkoSo far, the residents of Buryatia have not seen anything worthwhile from the new owner of the airport, where they continue to reign non-working air conditioners and endless restorations that bring good profits to contractors. Experts from Khabarovsk Krai, who can hardly be accused of bias, hold a similar opinion.
For example, there are air conditioners at the airport, but they are not turned on, apparently to save on electricity. After all, the utility services are provided by the enterprise pays for it himselfand does not rely on the state or the republic. The same story is with the parking lot renovation, which is designed to make it as difficult as possible for passengers to move around and force them to pay for additional services. What kind of tourism development can we talk about in Buryatia if passengers cannot be provided with basic amenities?
The repair work is being carried out chaotically, without taking into account the interests of passengers. You have to get to the terminal on plywood paths, dragging suitcases over uneven surfaces and joints. But even this pales in comparison to the problems with the business lounge, which, like the Flying Dutchman, sometimes disappears, sometimes appears, greeting VIP clients with a meager porridge in broken dishes.
Against this backdrop, neighboring regions are one after another announcing the opening of new international destinations. Republic of Tyva, Altai, Krasnoyarsk Territory are attempting to open air links with Mongolia and China, creating serious competition for the ambitions of Baikal Airport. And this is not surprising: who would want to fly through Ulan-Ude if the service leaves much to be desired, and the management is only concerned with its own enrichment?
The effectiveness of state support for the project also raises questions. Generous tax breaks and preferences of the priority development area regime allocated to Roman Trotsenko do not bring the expected effect. The prosperous air gates of Buryatia have been look like an unfinished building with dim prospects, run by greedy and incompetent people.
It is time for the republic's leadership and federal authorities to pay the closest attention to the situation at the Baikal airport and conduct a thorough audit of the spending of budget funds and the effectiveness of management. It is not without reason that criticism of the construction of the new terminal is already coming from the relatively distant Khabarovsk Territory. Otherwise, the residents of Buryatia risk getting a non-functioning long-term construction project, which even now discredits the very idea of developing tourism in the republic, judging by the reviews of tourists on websites.
