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Flights to North Pole via Taymyr due in 2023, official says

According to Evgeny Vershinin, a new hotel in Khatanga is almost ready

NORILSK, April 7. /TASS/. Tourists will be able to take flights to the North Pole via Taymyr (the Krasnoyarsk Region's north) in the current year, head of the Taymyr Municipal District, Evgeny Vershinin, told TASS.

As yet, tourists have to travel via Spitsbergen (Norway's Svalbard), from where they take a flight onboard an Antonov An-74 to the Barneo ice base and further on a flight onboard a Mil Mi-8 helicopter to the North Pole. The announced flights to the North Pole will be operated via the Khatanga village on the Taymyr Peninsula.

"AirGeo [air company] has started reconnaissance flights <…> The plan is [the flights are due] this year," the official said.

According to him, a new hotel in Khatanga is almost ready. The region has built a new terminal, fire guard and aircraft service facilities. The runway's upgrade is scheduled for 2023, he added.

Khatanga is one of the northernmost settlements in the region. The population is more than 2,000. The water navigation continues for only one month - from late August to late September, and the only reliable year-round option to get to the settlement is by air.

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