数か月前の話ですが、アストラハンへ出張する機会がありました。南部はいつ何が飛んでくるか気が気じゃないのですが、ウクライナではなくカザフスタン国境に近い地域だということと、今回はロシア人の同僚も同行させるとのこと。それなら万一何か起きても何とかなるだろうと腹を括って現地入りしました。今回は空港の紹介のみで失礼します。
アストラハン国際空港 Международный аэропорт Астрахань имени Б. М. Кустодиева/Astrakhan Boris M. Kustodiev International Airport
1枚目からピンボケですみません。24時間営業ということだったのですが、ターミナルはこの暗さです。
もしや、公式ウェブサイトは更新されていなくて、実は営業時間外なのかと思われるほどです。集団なのでホントよかった。一人だったら不安しかないところ。
入口にはいくつかドアがあるのですが、どこが開いているのかとうろうろしていると、向こうのベンチから「一番手前のドアから入るんだよ」と誰かの声が。休憩中の空港職員のようでした。ということは入れるはず。
入るといつもの金属探知機とX線があり、そこに職員が3人いて、普通にターミナルに入れました。「1階でも2階でも、居やすい場所で待機していいですよ」とのこと。
チェックインカウンター前。写真外ですが、このカウンターにも実は一人、ひっそりと職員が座っています。カメラが勝手に光調整したので左の照明は明るく見えますが、実際にはそんなことはありません。
チェックインカウンターと保安検査場入口の間に「オープン」という札の下がった売店がありましたが、写真を見るとどこがその売店なのか分かりませんね。店員の姿はなし。呼んだら来るのかもしれません。
一番広い待合スペースは2階にあり、クストージエフの肖像画の左側に広がっているのですが、そこは真っ暗でした。
入口にいた警備員の背後。ターミナルの中でここが一番明るいです。とはいえ、実際にはこの写真ほど明るくはありません。
ひっきりなしに制服を着た職員が通りますが、逆に安全面ではいいかもしれません。ということで、出張報告書を作成しつつ数時間待つことにしました。
この時点で同じく待機している旅客らしき人は2~3人ほどでしたが、このあと2時間ほどで徐々に利用者が集まってきました。保安検査場の先の搭乗ゲートのフロアではカフェが営業していて、早朝でもコーヒーや軽食をとることができます。
なぜこんなに暗いのか考えてみましたが、もしかすると、ロシア南部の複数都市の空港は例のアレが始まって以来いまだに閉鎖されているところが多いので、そっち方面の事情なのでしょうか。出張中にも、ヴォルガ川上空を戦闘機が西へと飛んでいくのが見えました。
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A few months ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Astrakhan on business. I was a little nervous about what might happen in the south, but I was told that we were going to a region close to the Kazakhstan border, not the Ukraine, and that we would be accompanied by a Russian colleague. So I went there with the resolve that if anything did happen, we would be able to deal with it. This time, I will only introduce the airport.
Astrakhan International Airport Международный аэропорт Астрахань имени Б. М. Кустодиева/Astrakhan Boris M. Kustodiev International Airport
Sorry about the out-of-focus shot in the first photo. The terminal was this dark, even though it was supposed to be open 24 hours a day.
It was almost as if the official website hadn't been updated and the terminal was actually closed. I was really glad we were in a group. If I'd been on my own, I'd have been worried.
There were several doors at the entrance, but when I was wondering which one was open, I heard someone from the bench over there say, “You go in through the door at the very front.” It sounded like an airport staff member on break. That meant we should be able to get in.
Once inside, there were the usual metal detectors and X-ray machines, and there were three staff members there, so I was able to enter the terminal as normal. They told me that I could wait in a place that was comfortable for me, whether it was on the first floor or the second floor.
In front of the check-in counter. Although it's not in the photo, there is actually one staff member sitting quietly at this counter too. The lighting on the left looks brighter because the camera adjusted the light automatically, but that's not actually the case.
There was a shop between the check-in counter and the entrance to the security check point with a sign saying “open”, but you can't see where it is in the photo. There were no staff members in sight. Maybe they'll come if you call them.
The largest waiting area is on the second floor, to the left of the portrait of Kustodiev, but it was pitch dark.
Behind the security guard at the entrance. This is the brightest area in the terminal. That said, it's not actually as bright as it looks in this photo.
There are uniformed staff constantly passing through, but on the other hand, this may be good for security. So, I decided to wait for a few hours while preparing my business trip report.
At this point, there were only a couple of other passengers waiting, but over the next two hours, more and more people gradually started to arrive. There is a cafe on the floor of the boarding gate beyond the security check point, so you can get a coffee or a light meal even in the early morning.
I tried to think about why it was so dark, but perhaps it's because many airports in southern Russia are still closed since the incident, so it's a situation in that direction. Even while I was on a business trip, I could see fighter jets flying west over the Volga River.