On a recent flight, one passenger complained about the legroom. Others, who remember circuitous routes to the republic, on roads dotted with checkpoints, welcomed the new access to their homeland without complaint.
"This is convenient, " said Akhmed Shaukhalov, 27. "It should have been done a long time ago."
Kadyrov, his entourage and the indigenous paramilitary force that backs him, are confident enough in the demand for flights, and in the security conditions, that they say routes will be expanded soon.
"This is only the first step," said Sultan Satuyev, a former police official who is the airport's general director.
RSS