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New airport to be built in Siberia after string of crashes

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IRKUTSK, July 11 (RIA Novosti) - A new airport will be built near the Siberian city of Irkutsk under an agreement between Russia's Federal Air Transportation Agency and the Irkutsk Region administration, the city governor said Tuesday.

Irkutsk, the home airport for popular tourist destination Lake Baikal, has been plagued by air crashes in the past few years. The latest tragedy occurred Sunday, when an A-310 airbus owned by Novosibirsk-based S7, formerly Sibir airline, crashed, killing 125.

The plane veered off the runway and burst into flames after hitting a concrete wall and plowing into garages.

Media reports have quoted pilots saying Irkutsk airport, about 3,000 miles east of Moscow, is somewhat "non-standard." Its runway is tilted toward the city and at about 10,400 feet has been criticized for being too short, which forces aircrews to make additional maneuvers while taking off and landing. Investigators have suggested this might have caused the latest crash.

Earlier accidents in Irkutsk occurred in January 1994, when a Tu-154 aircraft crashed on takeoff, killing 124 people. In December 1997, an A-124 military transport aircraft crashed into a residential area in Irkutsk just seconds after take-off, killing 72 people. In July 2001, a Tu-154 Russian airliner crashed near Irkutsk, claiming the lives of 145 people.

Governor Alexander Tishanin said Moscow would finance the construction of a runway, but the administration would have to find investors to build a terminal and facilities.

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