The new system, the first for any Russian airport,  allows any aircraft from any country to land regardless of restrictions that affect the rest of Russia.

Until now, airlines have only been able to use Russian airports under bilateral agreements between states, which specify which carriers can fly to which airports. Aircraft were allowed to land outside a bilateral agreement, but only to refuel.

Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport which has run the Valdivostok airport since 2008 underv a mandate from President Dmitry Medvedev.It is now hoped passenger numbers from Vladivostok could reach 5 million a year.

Sheremetyevo Airport, which manages Vladivostok's airport, said it had received expressions of interest from Chinese, U.S. and Australian carriers, but did not name them, Kommersant reported.

Flights will begin operating from the new terminal in February, Vladivostok Airport director Dmitry Chernenko told the Regnum news agency Tuesday.

Burgeoning regional Airline Vladivostok Air recently began operating twice weekly to Singapore via Hong Kong marking the first scheduled flights from the region to the South East Asian cities.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit will be hosted in Vladivostok in September 2012.