15 May, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. The first L-410 aircraft for the Vitebsk airline will arrive at the airport of the same name within the next week, Oleg Matskevich, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, told a BELTA correspondent. The project to establish an airline and build a transport and logistics centre in the vicinity of Vitebsk Airport commenced in mid-last year. The Czech company PDW Group s.r.o. acted as the investor. The preliminary investment volume amounted to approximately 50 million euros. In accordance with the agreement, the investor intends to establish five specialised companies in Vitebsk. The airline will be equipped with L-410 aircraft manufactured in the Czech Republic, and the possibility of leasing other airliners is also being considered. One of the conditions of the agreement is the creation of a transport and logistics centre in the area of Vitebsk Airport, as well as a service support company for Vitebsk Airport. The construction of a hotel and the modernisation of the Vitebsk Airport terminal complex are planned, along with the development of additional services. According to Oleg Matskevich, the airline initially plans to commence passenger transportation within Belarus, as well as to Kaliningrad. Responding to a question about potential competition with a well-known Belarusian air carrier, the Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee emphasised that competition is necessary in business and helps development. "Without competition, one sleeps better, but lives worse," he quoted a well-known saying. The establishment of the airline and the construction of the transport and logistics centre in the vicinity of Vitebsk Airport are estimated to provide annual additional budget revenues exceeding $2 million from the development of air transportation. The project implementation will significantly enhance the business and tourism potential of the Vitebsk region, and the construction and organisation of a transport and logistics centre on an area of 35 hectares in the airport's vicinity will stimulate the development of freight transportation not only by air but also by land transport.-0-

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