St. Petersburg Airport May Be Closed During Celebrations of City Anniversary

On May 30-31, during the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg, about 100-120 planes full of guests will arrive at Pulkovo international airport. As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, this was announced by Deputy Russian Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko at a meeting with local MPs on Friday 21. The landing schedule for these days has already been prepared, she said. The planes will land at intervals of ten minutes. 'It is possible that other flights will be limited at this time and the airport may even be closed,' Mrs Matvienko announced. A decision on this issue will be taken before March 1. Mrs Matvienko insisted that any restrictions on the admission of aeroplanes and the commercial losses of airlines that this might cause would be minimal.

No changes or restrictions are expected with the train schedule however, although the electric trains which cross the Volkhonskoe highway will be canceled. This is because the highway is part of the bypass route to be used for heads of state.