Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO)

Overview

Sheremetyevo International Airport is the key entry point into Moscow. It is just 18 miles (29 km) north-west of central Moscow and handled close to 20 million passengers in 2010.

Sheremetyevo Airport has six terminals and transiting between terminals can take up to 20 minutes. Duty-free stores as well as restaurants and retails stores are scattered throughout the terminals. The airport often comes across as quite chaotic. However, staff are friendly and processes run relatively efficiently.

Location

The airport is situated 16 miles (26km) northwest of Moscow.

Getting to the city

Taxis are available from outside both terminals; passengers should avoid the renegade taxi drivers and go to the official taxi counter. Rates are fixed. There is an express bus services, which leaves from outside Sheremetyevo 1 and 2 for the nearby metro stations that connect to the city centre. Minibuses are also available.

Time

Local time is GMT +3 (GMT +4 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in September).

Contacts

Tel: +7 495 232 6565.

see full airport guide

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Pulkovo International Airport (LED)

Overview

Pulkovo Airport is one of the busiest airports in Russia and serves close to nine million passengers annually. The airport is situated 12 miles (20km) from downtown St Petersburg. It offers little in the way of restaurants and shopping opportunities, and the few retail options at the airport are overpriced.

Passengers using the airport are advised to find their gate as soon as they've passed through security as some gates are quite far and flight information is often only posted in Cyrillic script. Gates 1-6 are situated in a separate 'satellite terminal' situated in the middle of the tarmac. It can take quite a long time to get to this terminal. Also, passengers flying on Aeroflot, or at the same time as an Aeroflot flight, should expect long queues and a fair amount of chaos.

Location

The airport is situated 10 miles (16km) south of St Petersburg.

Getting to the city

Bus No.13 leaves for Moskovskaya Metro Station from outside Terminal 2, from where metros go to the city centre. Taxis are also available from both terminals; prebooking a taxi is far cheaper. Passengers who are staying in a major hotel can arrange to be picked up.

Time

Local time is GMT +3 (GMT +4 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in September).

Contacts

Tel: +7 812 104 3450.

see full airport guide

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Moscow Domodedovo International Airport (DME)

Overview

One of the busiest airports in Russia, Moscow Domodedovo Airport serves the greater Moscow area (along with the equally-busy Sheremetyevo International Airport) from its location 26 miles (42km) outside of central Moscow.

Flights to Moscow Domodedovo Airport come from all over the world, including major hubs like Hang Kong, Athens, London, Tokyo, Barcelona, Madrid, Cairo, Singapore, Houston, Washington DC, Lisbon, Dubai, Vienna and Tel Aviv. However, many of the airport's 22 million passengers per year come on domestic routes to St Petersburg, Kaliningrad and other Russian cities.

The airport is known for long queues, and security is extremely tight since Domodedovo was hit by a terrorist attack in 2011, so passengers should be patient and allow plenty of time for connections. The facility is modern and cheerful however, with plenty of shopping and restaurants serving a variety of cuisines, including excellent Russian food.

Location

22 miles (35km) south of Moscow city centre

Getting to the city

A highway links Moscow city with the passenger terminal at the airport, making access by public transport, taxi or private car possible. There are trains linking the airport to Paveletsky Rail Terminal in Moscow city centre. The trains run every 30 to 60 minutes and the trip takes about 40 minutes. There are also express trains to Belorussky Rail Terminal via the Kursky and Kalanchevskaya stations. A coach service between the airport and the Domodedovskaya station on the Moscow Metro runs every 15 minutes and takes about 30 minutes.

Time

Local time is GMT +3 (GMT +4 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in September).

Contacts

Tel: +7 495 933 6666.

see full airport guide

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Koltsovo International Airport (SVX)

Overview

Located 10 miles (16km) south of Ekaterinburg in the Russian province of Sverdlovsk Oblast, Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport is the fifth-largest airport in Russia handling more than 2.3 million passengers each year. The city is famous for its theatres and museums, and is well worth exploring.

Ekaterinburg Airport is the main gateway to Siberia and Ural, and is also conveniently located along the Trans-Siberian Railway. Flights to Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport come from a number of cities in Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as a few destinations in Asia and the Middle East.

Location

The airport is located about 15 miles (25km) from Ekaterinburg city centre.

Getting to the city

There are several ways to connect to the city from the airport. Bus 1 takes passengers to the central Ekaterinburg railway station (Sverdlovsk), and bus 67 connects to the downtown Airlines ticketing agency. Yellow minibus cabs operate between the airport and the railway station. There are numerous taxis available outside the terminal (negotiate fares before departure), or private car pick-ups can be booked fairly cheaply.

Time

GMT+5 (GMT+6 from March to October).

Contacts

Tel: +7 343 224 2367.

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Adler-Sochi International Airport (AER)

Location

The airport is located 14 miles (22km) southeast of Sochi in the Adler district.

Getting to the city

Bus 124 runs directly into the city. Some other buses are available but are much slower.

Time

Local time is GMT + 3

Contacts

Tel: +78622440088.

see full airport guide

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Vladivostok Airport, also known as Knevichi Airport. (VVO)

Overview

Vladivostok Airport is a relatively under-utilised airport and serves just over a million passengers each year. The airport is situated on Russia's eastern coast just north of the Korean peninsula and relatively close to Japan. Valdivostok Airport is also known as Knevishi Airport and is located 31km (50km) from the town of Vladivostok.

Although many regional cities, such as Moscow, Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong, St Petersburg and Hanoi, offer fly to Vladivostok, it is difficult to book flights to Vladivostok from outside of the Asian subcontinent. However, the Russian government announced that the airport would be upgraded ahead of the APEC Russia 2012 Summit on Russky Island.

Location

The airport is 31 miles (50km) outside Vladivostok.

Getting to the city

Bus: The airport is served by two buses that stop at the airport terminal square and then travel into Vladivostok. Bus 107 and 101 both travel to central Vladivostok. Fares are RUB 55.

Time

GMT + 11

Contacts

+011 7 (423) 230-68-90

see full airport guide

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Irkutsk International Airport (IKT)

Overview

The main destination for flights to Siberia and central Russia, Irkutsk International Airport is a basic facility processing more than one million passengers each year. The depressing Soviet-Era structure has been relieved by a new terminal completed in 2007, located within easy walking distance for quick (but very cold) connections. Passengers should take care to have very warm clothes available for even a quick trip outside.

Flights to Irkutsk International Airport are mostly domestic and passengers flying to Russia from the West will need to connect in Moscow or Vladivostok. There are also a few international flights to destinations in Asia including Beijing and Seoul.

Irkutsk International Airport is located five miles (8km) from downtown Irkutsk.

Location

The airport is located five miles (8km) from downtown Irkutsk.

see full airport guide

Moscow International Airport Taxis: the taxi fares above are intended as a guideline only.