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Reconstruction of Arctic airport may start in 2018 only — authorities

An investor, who may finance reconstruction of the Khatanga airport in Russia's north, may appear not before 2018

KRASNOYARSK, March 15. /TASS/. An investor, who may finance reconstruction of the Khatanga airport in north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, may appear not before 2018, the region’s Minister of Transport Sergei Yeremin told TASS on Wednesday.

"Right now, we are preparing necessary paperwork on the complex’s assets, as in order to attract an investor from outside, all assets should be registered properly - this may take about a year," he said, adding the region’s government is looking for an investor jointly with the Russian property authority, Rosimushchestvo.

TASS wrote earlier, reconstruction of the airport would require up to 1,5 billion rubles (about $25 million). The authorities considered as potential investors the oil companies working in the Arctic - Rosneft and Lukoil. The Khatanga airport is one of the biggest regional airports in the Arctic.

In late February, 2017, acting head of the Krasnoyarsk Territory’s Taimyr district Vladimir Shishov told TASS an outside investor was also necessary for reconstruction of the airport in Dikson - in the district’s northern part. He said, the transport hub is "practically having no alternative." The airport is not working now, as its infrastructure does not answer requirements of the federal regulations, and KrasAvia serves the passenger route Norilsk-Dikson-Norilsk applying for permissions every week.

The federal company Airports of Krasnoyarye was organized in 2012 to manage five regional airports. It was supposed to manage also airports in Tura, Baikit, Varnava, Khatanga, Dikson and Yeniseisk, but this has not happened yet. In July 2016, the Krasnoyarsk Territory’s Governor Viktor Tolokonsky told TASS the region was ready to unite all the northern airport into one unitary company.