On 19 December 1957, in accordance with a decree of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, the construction of Kurumoch Airport commenced. Construction was overseen and managed by N.P. Skrinsky, the chairman of the Kuybyshev airport from 7 January 1958 to 14 December 1959. The airport was at first named Kurumoch Airport, but was later renamed Kuybyshev Airport because Samara's official name from 1935 to 1991 was Kuybyshev. The airport did not have a domestic or international passenger status, because the initial purpose of the airport was for military practices and cargo imports/exports. On 30 July 1960, Kuybyshev Airport became operational for military purposes. On that same day, the first avionic practice was held with 13 Ilyushin Il-18s and seven Antonov An-10s. Kuybyshev Airport was also used as a transit aerodrome for short-range aircraft in need of refuelling. On 27 February 1961, the first commercial flight from Kuybyshev Airport to Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, was piloted by V. A. Mikhailov. On 15 May 1961, Kuybyshev gained domestic passenger status and had its first daily flight to Mineralnye Vody. That same year, Kuybyshev Airport was granted flights to Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Tashkent, Adler, etc. Construction continued between 1965 and 1970, with a new maintenance hangar, baggage claim facility, 5-story hotel, a second runway, and new oil storage bunkers added to the airport's infrastructure. In 1970, approximately 700,000 passengers and 27,000 tonnes of cargo passed through Kuybyshev Airport. By 1971, all the facilities and expansions were completed. In 1972, construction on a training center for flight engineers was completed. That same year, after endurance tests were completed, the second runway was exploited for commercial use. Between 1981 and 1990, Kuybyshev Airport underwent two indoor reconstructions. The second one, in 1989, was for the purpose of creating two different lounge areas. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the two areas became the airport's domestic departure zone. A new flight catering facility was constructed. The facility demanded a large quantity of electricity for the freezers and conveyor belts, thus a much stronger transmission tower cable system was run to the airport. This also improved the living conditions of the village of Kurumoch nearby, which the cable ran through. In 1990, Kuybyshev Airport reached its passenger traffic peak of 3,700,000. Preceding the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the City of Kuybyshev was renamed Samara. In 1992, after meeting with the ICAO requirements, Kurumoch Airport was granted international status. In 1993, the construction of a new international terminal was completed. It is still used to this day as the main and only terminal. On 19 February 1993, the airport created an Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) Samara Airlines. Samara Airlines was made for the benefit and prosperity of the Kuybyshev International Airport. On 9 December 1994, the airport made another OJSC "International Airport Samara". On 31 May 2002, Kuybyshev International Airport was renamed to Kurumoch International Airport. The previous name was dismissed because of its ties with the Soviet Union (the city and airport were named after Valerian Kuybyshev: a pro-Soviet revolutionary). It was renamed to Kurumoch after the small village near the airport, and due to the fact that the airport's original name was Kurumoch Airport. During 2007, with Rosaviatsia in cooperation with Russia's Ministry of Transport, a systematic plan was created in order to boost regional and general aviation in Russia between 2008 and 2020. This included the optimization of Russian air companies (Aeroflot, S7, etc.) and airports, as well as the creation of transit traffic and hub airports. Kurumoch was prospectively regarded as the best hub airport for the Volga Federal District.