Tourists Could Soon Benefit From Direct Flights to Baikonur Space Center

The Center for Operation of Space Ground-Based Infrastructure of Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced a tender for air carriers interested in conducting regular flights to the Baikonur space center, the Russian Izvestia newspaper reports.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The newspaper said that the tender was announced after the modernization of the Krayniy Airport in Baikonur. Five airlines, including Kazakhstan’s SCAT carrier, have expressed their interest in the tender.

Currently, there are no direct flights to Baikonur, apart from special flights that serve the needs of the space industry.

According to Izvestia, launching regular flights to Baikonur will contribute to the inflow of tourists and will also benefit staff working at the space center.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome is an international facility in Kazakhstan for operating Russian and multinational space programs. Russia has leased the Baikonur space center until 2050.