Sheremetyevo International Airport

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Sheremetyevo International Airport Международный аэропорт Шереметьево
IATA: SVO – ICAO: UUEE
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		International Airport Sheremetyevo
Location		Moscow, Russia
Hub for		Aeroflot and Nordavia
Elevation AMSL		622 ft / 190 m
Coordinates		55°58′22″N 37°24′53″E / 55.97278°N 37.41472°E / 55.97278; 37.41472Coordinates: 55°58′22″N 37°24′53″E / 55.97278°N 37.41472°E / 55.97278; 37.41472
Website		www.svo.aero
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
07R/25L	12,139	3,700	Concrete
07L/25R	11,647	3,550	Concrete
Statistics (2008)
Number of Passengers			15,214,000
Press release [1]

Sheremetyevo International Airport (Russian: Международный Аэропорт Шереметьево, Mezhdunarodniy Aeroport Sheremet'evo IPA: [ʂerʲiˈmʲetʲjivə]) (IATA: SVO, ICAO: UUEE), is an international airport located 29km (18 miles) north-west of Moscow, Russia. It is a hub for the passenger operations of the Russian international airline Aeroflot, and one of the three major airports serving Moscow along with Domodedovo International Airport and Vnukovo (the IATA area code for Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo is MOW). It is the second largest in Russia (after Domodedovo); in 2007 it handled 14.04 million passengers (10% increase with respect to 2006) and 117,044 tonnes of cargo (5.6% increase).

History

Sheremetyevo was opened on 11 August 1959; the first international flight was on 1 June 1960 to Berlin (Schönefeld Airport). Sheremetyevo-1 (used by domestic flights) was opened on 3 September 1964. On 12 September 1967, the first scheduled passenger flight of Tupolev Tu-134 departed from Sheremetyevo (to Stockholm), followed by the first scheduled flight of Ilyushin Il-62 (to Montreal) on 15 September.

Sheremetyevo-2, the larger of the two terminals, opened on 1 January 1980 for the 1980 Summer Olympics and is the arrival and departure point for international flights. Flights to cities in Russia and charter flights arrive and depart from Sheremetyevo-1. There is no physical connection between the two terminals; they are essentially separate airports using the same set of runways. Such a layout is rather unusual worldwide; Perth Airport in Western Australia, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, Ferihegy in Budapest, and Davao International Airport in Davao City, Philippines are other examples.

Transport and accessibility

It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours from the city center to get to the airport. The main road leading to the airport — Leningradskoe Highway — can get clogged during the rush hour, often resulting in passengers missing their flights. Calling a cab from downtown Moscow to Sheremetyevo costs around $30–40. Slow buses and faster minivans (fixed price shared taxis, known as marshrutkas) connect Sheremetyevo with Moscow's extensive metro network.

In November 2004, an express train connection was established from the Savyolovsky Rail Terminal to the Lobnya station (25 minutes), which is 7 km from the airport, with the remainder of the journey taken by bus or taxi. On 10 June 2008, a new 60,000 square meter rail terminal opened in front of Terminal 2 (the future Terminal B) with direct service from Savyolovsky Rail Terminal. A shuttle bus service ferries passengers to Terminal 1 and new Terminal C. Tickets on the rail service cost 250 roubles (350 roubles for first class), and journeys take 35 minutes. From 28 August 2009 the line was continued to Belorussky Rail Terminal, and by 2015, it is intended that a new central rail terminal will service all three of Moscow's main airports. The rail link is operated by Aeroexpress, a subsidiary of Russian Railways.^[2]

Ongoing construction

In the 2000s Sheremetyevo saw growing competition from a newer and more comfortable Domodedovo International Airport. With major airlines leaving Sheremetyevo (most notably, Lufthansa, British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Japan Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines Group and Swiss International Air Lines), the need for reconstruction has become ever more evident (Lufthansa is going to return to Sheremetyevo)^{[citation needed]}.

Sheremetyevo Terminal 2.

A brand new, state-of-the-art, Terminal C, costing an estimated US$87.7 million is now completed beside the old Terminal 1 and has welcomed its first passengers. The terminal is also painted in the new Sheremetyevo orange color scheme. This terminal is to have capacity for 5 million passengers per year and 40,000-square-meter of floor space. The old Terminal 1 (or Sheremetyevo-1) currently caters mainly to internal flights. It will be refurbished as a terminal for business jets.

Terminal 2 (or Sheremetyevo-2) is undergoing what the airport's management calls "cosmetic repairs", but a major reconstruction was started on 10 February and is scheduled for completion by mid-2009 where a new section connecting Terminal A and the Old Terminal 2 will open ^[3]. It will be known as Terminal 2A. After the reconstruction, which is reported to cost $310 million, its capacity is to be more than doubled, from 8 million to 18 million passengers per year, and it will be capable of servicing the giant Airbus A380. Two new wings are to be constructed for more passenger and aircraft room. One of the wings will also serve as a connector to Terminal A. The entire terminal will be expanded and fully remodeled for passenger comfort. New shops and restaurants, as well as brand new VIP lounges are to be constructed. A new parking area for aircraft will also be built for more aircraft capacity. The new car parking lot will be built in front of the terminal to increase car capacity. A new International Business Center is also being constructed for offices and other facilities.

The airport's two runways are set for major reconstruction, including widening and resurfacing. The Moscow Oblast government has reserved a piece of land by the airport for a future third runway.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Cargo airlines

• Aeroflot-Cargo
• AirBridgeCargo Airlines
• Air France Cargo
• KLM Cargo
• Korean Air Cargo (Seoul-Incheon)
• Lufthansa Cargo
• Turkish Airlines Cargo

Accidents and incidents

• On 26 September 1960, Vickers Viscount OE-LAF of Austrian Airlines crashed 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) short of the runway at Sheremetyevo Airport. Thirty one of the 37 people on board were killed.^[5]
• On 27 November 1972 Japan Airlines Flight 446, a DC-8-62, crashed while in an initial climb on a route from Sheremetyevo International Airport to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda). 9 of 14 crew members and 52 of 62 passengers died, with a total of 61 of 76 occupants dead.^[6]
• 6 July 1982 - Aeroflot Flight 411, an Ilyushin Il-62 crashed on take-off; all 90 on board were killed.^[7]
• 28 July 2002 - Pulkovo airlines, an Ilyushin Il-86 with 16 crew members and no passengers on board, crashed shortly after take-off. Two stewardesses survived.

In popular culture

• In the 1997 film, Air Force One, the President of the United States, takes off from Sheremetyevo, but the plane is hijacked by Russian terrorists shortly after take-off.
• It was featured in the 2009 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the controversial single player level "No Russian" and the multiplayer level "Terminal". It is renamed "Zakhaev International Airport" after the Ultranationalist leader and antagonist from the previous game.
• Sheremetyevo Airport was the setting of the opening of the 13th Nu, pogodi! episode Olympic Games.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sheremetyevo International Airport

• (English) Sheremetyevo International Airport official website
• (Russian) OJSC "Terminal", Aeroflot subsidiary overseeing Terminal 3 development
• Airport information for UUEE at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.. Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for UUEE at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
• Current weather for UUEE at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for SVO at Aviation Safety Network