Sheremetyevo was opened in 1959; the first international flight was on 1 June 1960. Sheremetyevo-1 opened in 1964; Sheremetyevo-2 (the most likely entrance point for most tourists) opened 1980 in time for the Moscow Olympics.
Today, the airport processes almost 12 million passengers annually. This represents almost a quarter of all air passengers, and over 60% of the passengers on international airline flights. [Figures according to the official website].
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2 Transport and accessibility 3 Ongoing construction 4 Airlines flying into Sheremetyevo |
Sheremetyevo airport was called Europe's worst airport by The Russia Journal. The airport is plagued by long queues, delayes at immigration, parking problems, dim lighting, poor seating, poor service and worst possible transport links to the city.
The airport lies in Moscow Oblast and thus the Moscow city takes little care of access roads. However, a rapid transit system was planned to link city and airport, and was scheduled to start in 2004.
The airport was scheduled for reconstruction beginning 2002 (and supposed to be completed by the end of 2004). In the meanwhile, the Russian national airlines Aeroflot has announced its plans to build its own terminal Sheremetyevo-3 starting in 2004. Analysts hope that by the end of 2007, more than 15 million passengers will be passing through Sheremetyevo's various terminals.
A rapid transit system (mentioned above) should also connect the airport to Leningrad Station (Leningradskii vokzal) in Moscow. This station is the departure point for most trains to St Petersburg, formerly Leningrad.
Problems
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 airport Leningradskoe Shosse can get clogged at any time of day or night, and passengers frequently miss flights. Prices of most forms of transport tends to vary; the better your Russian, the lower the costs of getting to the airport. [In 1995, it cost me $50 to get to this airport in a private taxi].Ongoing construction
Airlines flying into Sheremetyevo
The following airlines are among the more than 80 airlines (according to the airport's official site) that fly to Sheremetyevo International Airport:
External Links