In Ingushetia, the owner of the only international airport has changed — the Apr-City/TVD company associated with the ecosystem of the Wildberries marketplace has become its new owner. The transaction amount amounted to 425 million rubles, which significantly exceeded the initial cost set at 250 million. This is reported by the Kommersant newspaper.
According to the head of the republic, Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov, the sale of the asset was aimed at attracting private investment capable of breathing new life into the aviation hub of the region. The auction was accompanied by competition between two bidders, which affected the final price.
Magassky Airport was granted international status in 2021. However, its maintenance continued to fall on the regional budget, costing about 100 million rubles annually. Now, with the transition to a private owner, the authorities expect an increase in the number of flights and increased interest from tourists.
Wildberries has been actively expanding its logistics infrastructure in recent months. For example, in Yakutsk, the company planned to build a warehouse complex with an area of more than 30 thousand square meters with an investment volume of 1.8 billion rubles. The acquisition of the airport may become part of a major strategy to create its own logistics hubs capable of speeding up delivery and expanding the geography of the company's presence.
Experts believe that such transactions indicate an attempt by the largest e—commerce players to control more parts of the supply chain, from the warehouse to the international cargo pick-up point. At the same time, participation in the aviation infrastructure can give Wildberries an important competitive advantage against the background of growing logistical costs in the country.
The airport in Magas has the potential to become not only a transport hub, but also an investment hub if the marketplace implements plans to modernize and attract new routes. It is obvious that the company is moving beyond the traditional online retail, betting on long-term assets in the logistics sector.
