The new terminal aims to use the airport as a gateway to unite the Khakassia, Tuva and Krasnoyarsk regions around the Yenisei river.

The heads of those three regions attended the grand opening of the new terminal along with the director general of the 2019 Winter Universiade, Maxim Urazov.

Krasnoyarsk 2019 claim the renovated airport should ensure a comfortable arrival and departure to and from Krasnoyarsk and the surrounding region before, during and after the Games.

Urazov emphasised how important the guests’ first impression of the region will be for the Winter Universiade and hopes the new terminal will create a good first impression when athletes, delegates and fans arrive in 2019.

"We have received a modern airport complex," he said.

"Guests will immediately fall into the atmosphere of comfort, and they will form a good opinion about our city."

Urazov added: "The airport will be multifunctional and provide a large number of services and receive guests from different countries.

"The Winter Universiade 2019 accelerates many processes in Krasnoyarsk and the more we do [before the Games], the better.

"The Games are an excellent opportunity to change our city and region."

The new terminal, construction of which began on November 13 in 2015, is 58,000 square metres and will welcome from 2.5 million to five million passengers a year.

Krasnoyarsk is currently hosting a variety of events to celebrate the New Year holidays, including skating sessions and ice sculpting competitions.

The 2019 Winter Universiade is scheduled to take place from March 2 to 12.