Sheremetyevo International Airport, named after A. S. Pushkin (IATA: SVO, ICAO: UUEE), is a Russian international airport of federal importance, one of the four main airports in Moscow and the Moscow region, the first in Russia in terms of passenger traffic. It was one of the ten hub airports in Europe and the 50 busiest airports in the world.
Serves flights of the national carrier of Russia – Aeroflot – Russian Airlines (the airline’s hub) and some other airlines. It is located to the northwest of Moscow, on the territory of the urban district of Khimki, Moscow Region, approximately at the same distance (several kilometers) from the cities of Khimki, Lobnya and Dolgoprudny. The distance from the Moscow Ring Road along the St. Petersburg to terminal A is 13 kilometers, and to terminals D, E and F – is 9 kilometers.
On September 1, 1953, a resolution was issued by the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the construction of the Central Air Force Airfield in the settlement of Chashnikov. Initially, the airfield was built as the Central Airfield of the Air Force (VVS) of the Soviet Army of the USSR Armed Forces. The airfield was initially named “Sheremetyevsky” after two nearby objects – the residential village of Sheremetyevsky and the Sheremetyevsky platform of the Savelovsky direction of the Moscow Railway. In 1957, a runway, main and connecting taxiways, three platforms with aircraft parking spaces, and buildings of the Central Control Center were put into operation.
In 1959, the airfield was transferred from the Ministry of Defense of the USSR to civil aviation at the direction of N. S. Khrushchev. The official opening date of Sheremetyevo International Airport is August 11, 1959.
On June 1, 1960, the first international flight was made on the route Moscow (Sheremetyevo) – Schönefeld on an Il-18 aircraft of the Vnukovo air squadron. With Tu-104, Il-14 and Il-18 aircraft, Aeroflot operated flights from Sheremetyevo to 23 foreign countries. During the first year of operation, the airport served 50,000 passengers and 3,000 tons of mail and cargo. Since 1961, Sheremetyevo has operated special, charter and regular flights to Cuba, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Australia.
On November 20, 1967, the first flight from Sheremetyevo to New York occurred. By 1970, Sheremetyevo Airport had become the largest in the USSR.
In 1972-1975, the construction of a new runway (RWY-2) was conducted. On the eve of the Moscow Olympics on November 17, 1977, the first stone was laid in the foundation of the new Sheremetyevo-2 air terminal.
Since October 2015, the construction of a new runway No. 3 with a length of 3200 m and a width of 60 m has begun. The opening of the new runway took place on September 19, 2019.
Sheremetyevo is an A-class airfield capable of receiving all types of domestic and foreign aircraft. In 2002, the airport was assigned the IIIA ICAO category, which allows landing aircraft with vertical visibility of at least 15 m and a visibility range on the runway of at least 175 m.
Sheremetyevo has a three-level automatic baggage screening system, which uses MVT-HR introscopes and a multifunctional Examiner tomograph (3DX 6500). Passenger screening uses ProVision-100 and SafeScout 100 mm range portal scanners.
To prevent aviation accidents and prevent acts of unlawful interference, Sheremetyevo also has such security systems as:
Screening of luggage and hand luggage.
Integrated video surveillance system.
Profiling (method of psychological testing).
Work of the cynological service.
Sheremetyevo Airport consists of the following passenger terminals:
Terminal A (business aviation).
Terminal B (domestic flights).
Terminal C (international flights).
Terminal D (domestic and international flights).
Terminals E and F (international flights).
Terminals B and C form the North Terminal Complex (STK), and terminals D, E, and F form the South Terminal Complex (STC).
Two cargo complexes also operate on the territory of the airport: the largest cargo complex in Russia, Sheremetyevo “Moscow Cargo” and “Sheremetyevo-Cargo.”
Infrastructure
Several hotels operate at the airport and in its immediate vicinity, including Holiday Inn Express Sheremetyevo, Novotel Sheremetyevo, Midland Sheremetyevo, Park Inn, capsule hotel Vozdushny Express, Profilatorium, Kora-vip, Atlanta Sheremetyevo, Aero Plaza (near terminal C), Mona.
All terminals of the airport have mother and child rooms, where passengers with children have a play and sleeping area, a kitchen and changing tables.
The airport has lounges serving passengers of the Priority Pass club.
The airport provides personal assistance to passengers with disabilities, unique parking spaces, information desks and check-in desks are organized, first-aid posts work around the clock, and ambulifts are provided to deliver passengers to the aircraft if necessary. The airport staff will escort the checked-in passenger to the hall and, further, to the boarding gate. In terminal E’s “clean zone,” there is a free lounge, “Sirius,” for passengers with disabilities.
In 2009, the Museum of the History of Sheremetyevo Airport, with an area of 500 m², was opened for a visit in Terminal F.
Transport and how to get to?
Railway transport
On June 10, 2008, Aeroexpress trains launched a direct passenger service between Moscow’s Savyolovsky Station and Sheremetyevo Airport. A branch from the main line of the Savelovsky direction and the Sheremetyevo Airport railway station at the airport, located in the southern complex near Terminal E, was specially built.
On August 28, 2009, the route was extended to the Belorussky railway station of the capital. From November 21, 2019, Aeroexpress trains depart from Odintsovo, stop at all points of the MCD-1 to Belorussky railway station, then at Savelovsky railway station and Okruzhnaya. Travel time from Belorussky railway station to the airport is 50 minutes.
Buses and fixed-route taxis
The nearest metro station is Khovrino. Express bus No. 1195 Aeroexpress runs from this station to Terminal B and bus 1195D to Terminal D. Travel time is 20 minutes. The departure interval in both directions is 15 minutes from 07:30 to 21:00. The route passes along the toll highway M11 “Neva.” Express bus stops are located at Exit No. 2 of the Khovrino metro station and to the left of the exit from Terminal B of Sheremetyevo Airport.
Buses No. 851 and 817 and fixed-route taxis No. 949 and 948 run from the Rechnoy Vokzal and Planernaya metro stations to the airport.
From Lobnya railway station to the departure area of terminal B can be reached by bus or fixed-route taxi No. 21. Routes No. 38 (Dolgoprudnaya station – Lobnya station), No. 41 (Khimki station – Lobnya station, eight times) also stop at this stop per day), No. 48 (st. Lobnya – Dubrovka).
Terminal F can be reached by bus number 41 (st. Lobnya – St. Khimki, eight times a day).
From Khimki station to terminal F you can take bus No. 41 (st. Lobnya – st. Khimki), No. 43 (st. Khimki – Ivakino, six times a day) and bus No. 62 (st. Khimki – Sheremetyevo Airport terminal F).
At night (01:00 – 05:30), the Moscow bus route H1 “Sheremetyevo Airport – Kitay-Gorod Metro,” runs from the north to the center of Moscow. Movement interval – 30 minutes.
Vehicles and parking
You can drive up to the airport by car either from the Leningradskoye Highway along the International or Sheremetyevo Highway or from the Dmitrovskoye Highway. In December 2014, a section of the new high-speed highway Moscow-St. Petersburg (M11) was opened, which took place near Sheremetyevo.
There are more than ten paid parking lots around the airport. Parking prices vary depending on location.
