The construction of a new runway at Odesa airport will start and finish in 2016, Head of Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili said at a briefing at the airport on Friday.

"Anyway, by the end of next year [the runway] is to operate," he said.

He said that neither the businessmen who created the joint venture to manage the airport jointly with Odesa City Council nor the state have the money to build the new runway. He said that at present, negotiations with various international funds are being held.

Commenting on the prospects of developing the Odesa airport, Saakashvili promised that it would become the best in Ukraine.

"Odesa will be larger than Boryspil in its potential," he said.

He said that at present, negotiations with Wizz Air on the return of the airline to Ukraine, in particular, to Odesa, are being held. Saakashvili also hopes that other low cost airlines will open routes at Odesa airport, and the prices of the airport's services would be considerably cut, which would influence the cost of tickets for passengers.

In addition, Saakashvili announced that he plans to de-mothball and launch Izmail airport, which was closed several years ago due to the absence of flights and to build a runway for freight communications at one of the military airfields in Odesa region.