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The administration of the Anapa Airport in the Russian south, which has been closed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, has come up with a creative way of making up for lost profits. Those who miss flights can attend the airport for a full simulation of all pre-flight procedures up to the moment of departure – only without the takeoff.
Titled “I Wanna Fly”, the tour offers “a full immersion into the atmosphere” for a modest $24. The program includes:
· A security check
· Check-in
· Printing a boarding pass
· Proceeding to the gate
· Boarding the plane
· Visiting the cockpit
· A water salute (one of the best-known airport traditions)
· An airplane meal
On February 24, when Russian troops entered Ukraine, eleven airports in the south of Russia ceased operation for security reasons: in Anapa, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, and Elista.