Moscow airports

Domodedovo

Domodedovo meets the requirements for a Class C airport according to IATA standards, which gives it international recognition as providing excellent service. This high level of quality is further corroborated by the fact that for several years, the number of passengers increased from 6.7 million to 9.5 million, giving Domodedovo a 40% market share, as opposed to 48% for Sheremetyevo, and 12% for Vnukovo.

To what does Domodedovo owe its huge success, and what services does this airport offer passengers today? As a result of the remodeling of the complex, which lasted almost 7 years, from 1996 to 2003, and which, according to the Domodedovo press office, cost more than $400 million, the area of the terminal was increased by 50%, which made it possible to increase the passenger flow, the number of services offered, etc. At the present time, the total area of the airport is 97,500 square meters. The passenger capacity is 6,000 passengers per hour on domestic and international flights.

One of the important advantages of Domodedovo International Airport is the possibility of getting to and from the center of Moscow quickly and with minimum hassle. In addition to the services of professional transportation companies that won the tender, passengers have at their disposal a comfortable and rapid electric train that transports them to and from Paveletskaya Railway Station in 40 minutes every hour, and every half-hour during peak times. This system of express trains is just beginning to develop in Moscow, and Domodedovo is the first airport to prove its effectiveness by practical experience. It should be noted that this system includes not only the delivery of passengers to the airport or to Moscow, but, upon request, document formalities and baggage check-in as well. Passengers flying on airlines that have signed special service contracts with East Line can register for their flights and check their luggage at the railway station 24 hours prior to their flight. According to the press service, this technology is currently being developed, and while the procedure is relatively simple for domestic flights, international passengers face several additional steps. By moving the luggage check-in point to the station, the airport is also moving the border, so to speak, and so it is also necessary to deal with all Customs inspection and passport control issues there rather than at the airport. And today, this complex system is gathering momentum. The airport is equipped with 48 registration counters, 24 each for international and domestic flights.

Separate counters are set aside for checking small suitcases and for registering passengers with carry-on luggage. The press center says that document processing takes only 30 seconds, the accepted time in the rest of the world. Baggage claim time depends on a number of factors, but the wait never exceeds half an hour. The airport has comfortable, well-appointed waiting rooms for passengers, with VIP areas, cafés, and Internet rooms, all of which help the waiting time to pass more quickly. The air terminal also boasts special areas for disabled passengers, a first-aid facility, a baby changing room, a chapel, and a mosque.

The second floor of the airport has been turned into a retail zone, where almost everything, from women’s intimate apparel at Dikaya Orkhideya (wild orchid), to tote bags at Robinson, is available. Domodedovo is the only airport in the Moscow aviation hub in which the two parallel runways can be used simultaneously, which essentially means that one airplane can land at the same time that another is taking off. This is made possible by the 2,000-meter distance between runways. This system doubles the air traffic capacity, and consequently affects the tempo of functioning of the entire airport. At the present time, Domodedovo International Airport is capable of accommodating any Russian or foreign-made aircraft, and has no nighttime restrictions for either takeoffs or landings.

These and many other advantages are the reasons that several major international airlines have left Sheremetyevo-2, once considered a very prestigious airport, and have come over to Domodedovo.

Independent experts believe that the passenger load at Domodedovo International Airport will only continue to grow. No doubt Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo will be able to compete with Domodedovo, but no earlier than in ten years, when those complexes will have undergone a complete renovation.

Transportation

Sheremetyevo

For many years, Sheremetyevo Airport, which is made up of the Sheremetyevo-1 and Sheremetyevo-2 complexes, was recognized as the principal airport in the Soviet Union. Today, however, in spite of the fact that its market share is the highest at 48%, it is losing its former attractiveness.

Sheremetyevo is first among Russian airports in terms of the number of passengers, serving 11 million people annually. The first terminal has 28 registration counters, the second has 22. The registration and document check procedure takes, according to the press service, between 15 and 30 minutes, but the company does admit that the registration time increases at peak times. Sheremetyevo is the only airport in Russia with a Category IIIA rating.

The current volume stands at 2,100 passengers per hour. In addition to the security system upgrade, a plan to select an operator who will provide a reliable taxi service should be worked out in the near future. Plans are also in the pipeline for a feasibility study for the construction of a monorail linking the airport with the Moskva-city district, and for the establishment of a direct rail link between Sheremetyevo and Moscow.

Transportation

Vnukovo

Vnukovo International’s total number of passengers handled in 2005 stands at 3,618,777.00 representing a 46,2 per cent year-on-year growth compared with 2004 and a 30,4 per cent increase over 2003.

During the past year the Airport has handled 77,022 flights – 20,5 percent more than in 2004 and a 22.1 per cent improvement over 2003.

Compared with 2004 international passenger numbers have more than tripled totaling 752,288.00 with particularly dynamic growth recorded on the Moscow - Hurghada, Moscow – Sharm el Sheikh, Moscow – Dalaman, Moscow – Varna, and Moscow – Burgas routes.

The CIS routes out of Vnukovo account for a total of 269,828 passengers handled, which represents a 52,3 per cent improvement over the respective numbers for 2004. The routes to Yerevan, Baku, Tbilisi, Donetsk and Simferopol have proved a source of the most dynamic growth in passenger numbers.

Domestic passenger numbers for 2005 comprise 2,596,661.00 – a 26 per cent improvement over the 2004 levels. The fastest growing routes were those to Samara, Vladivostok, Syktyvkar, Saint-Petersburg, Ufa, Noyabr’sk, Khanty-Mansiysk, Ukhta, Magnitogorsk, Yakutsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Usinsk and Kurgan.

Topping the list of the most popular destinations as evidenced by respective passenger numbers were Krasnodar, Sochi, Mineralnye Vody, Antalya and Istanbul.

Transportation

Buses

From subway station Yugo-Zapadnaya.

Aeroexpress train

Bykovo

Bykovo is the oldest airport in the Moscow air hub. To say that it is a competitor of the other airports would be inaccurate, simply because its original purpose was to serve small and medium aircraft, particularly helicopters. Bykovo does not have the technical capabilities necessary for an important hub. Its passenger capacity is only 400 passengers per hour.

Experts wrote Bykovo off several years ago due to the fact that it is surrounded by densely populated residential buildings, which preclude the possibility of any expansion. But Airport Handling, the company that received a license to work at Bykovo earlier this year, found a compromise solution. At the present time, the airport specializes in VIP flights, helicopter freight transfer, and special aviation. Several small airlines are still based there. Since the profitability of the establishment is still unclear, the management has no plans to modernize the airport. A small building has been equipped to serve VIP passengers.

Transportation