PLATOV AIRPORT was expected to have welcomed its first commercial services on December 1. Development of the new $786m international gateway – certified for operations by the Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, in early November following several weeks of trials – was funded by the Russian Government and is part of a wider-reaching programme to develop the country’s transport infrastructure. The facility, which is able to accommodate up to 3 million passengers a year, is intended to replace Rostov-on- Don’s existing airport, currently slated to close in March. It features a single 11,800ft (3,600m) runway, a 538,000sq ft (50,000m²) terminal with nine contact gates and parking for up to 45 aircraft. Existing services to the southeastern city will be transferred to Platov during the first quarter of the year, giving the new airport connections to 24 destinations via 18 different airlines (13 from Russia, including based Azimuth Airlines, and five international carriers).