Propelled by new services to Moscow, Odessa Airport, in Ukraine, is on track to pass one million passengers this year as its new terminal nears completion. Traffic on the Odessa - Moscow has rocketed 80 per cent since restrictions on carriers flying the route were scrapped, spurring growth at Odessa, said Maria Popovych, the gateway’s press secretary.

“Last year we had 907,000 passengers but we this year we expect one million,” she told The HUB on the opening day of the Routes CIS forum in Donetsk, Ukraine. “Before the new agreement last year between Russia and Ukraine, only one airline from each side was allowed to operate the route, each only flying one service a day.”

According to Popovych, demand for the flights is partly driven by the movie industry. “Odessa used to have a big cinema industry,” she said. “Today, when companies shoot films in Moscow they also set scenes in Odessa, as it is cheaper, so actors and crew travel a lot between the locations.” Aeroflot’s onward transfer opportunities from Moscow also helps grow traffic on the service.

Odessa is now serving pent-up demand after having been held back for many years by Soviet policy to move airports out of cities, she said. Under a new ownership structure, including private participation, the gateway aims to open a new terminal building in September 2014. Meanwhile, new Air Arabia flights to Sharjah, popular with maritime professionals, have boosted traffic and flydubai is also launching services that will link to holiday destinations such as Thailand and Sri Lanka via the Gulf metropolis, she added.

To continue its expansion, Odessa International Airport is now keen to add Barcelona and Milan to its route map, said Sergey Stepanov, advisor to its commercial department. “Barcelona is interesting both as a tourist market and as a destination for ship crews,” he said. “We would also be interested in low-cost flights to Germany and we see a lot of potential in Tbilisi in Georgia.”