Domodedovo International Airport
Encyclopedia
Moscow Domodedovo Airport or Domodedovo International Airport ( Moskovsky Aeroport Domodedоvo) is an international airport
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...

 located in Domodedovsky District
Domodedovsky District
Domodedovsky District was an administrative district of Moscow Oblast, Russia, which was municipally incorporated as Domodedovo Urban Okrug. District's population:...

, Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye , is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at , is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the 2010 population of 7,092,941, is the second most populous federal subject...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, 42 kilometres (26.1 mi) south-southeast of the centre of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. Domodedovo is the largest airport in Russia in terms of passenger and cargo traffic (22.25 million passengers used the airport in 2010, which is a 19.2% increase over 2009), and is one of the three major Moscow airports along with Sheremetyevo
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport , is an international airport located in the Moscow Oblast, Russia, north-west of central Moscow. 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...

 and Vnukovo
Vnukovo International Airport
Vnukovo International Airport , is a dual runway international airport located southwest from the centre of Moscow, Russia. It is one of three major airports serving Moscow...

.

In 2003, the airport began an expansion programm designed to obtain approval for wide-body aircraft
Wide-body aircraft
A wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a widebody aircraft or twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850 passengers...

 operations. The runway, taxiways and parking areas were enlarged and strengthened. In March 2009 it was announced that the approval had been granted, making Domodedovo Airport the first in Russia approved for NLA operations such as the Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...

. The approval signifies that its operations areas comply with size and strength requirements of ICAO Category F standards. The airport has ILS
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...

 category III A status.

History

The airport is named after the nearby town of Domodedovo
Domodedovo (town)
Domodedovo is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located south of Moscow. Population: The increase of population is due to the merger of three neighboring inhabited localities into the town in 2004....

, the administrative center of the Domodedovsky District.

Services from Domodedovo began in March 1964 with a flight to Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...

) using a Tupolev 104
Tupolev Tu-104
The Tupolev Tu-104 was a twin-engined medium-range turbojet-powered Soviet airliner and the world's first successful jet airliner...

. The airport, intended to handle the growth of long-distance domestic traffic in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, was officially opened in May 1965. A second runway, parallel to the existing one, was put into service 18 months after the opening of the airport. On 26 December 1975, Domodedovo Airport was selected for the inaugural flight of Tupolev Tu-144
Tupolev Tu-144
The Tupolev Tu-144 was a Soviet supersonic transport aircraft and remains one of only two SSTs to enter commercial service, the other being the Concorde...

 to Alma Ata, now called Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...

.

In 1993–1994, East Line Group
East Line Group
East Line Group is an airport infrastructure business in Russia. It operates Domodedovo International Airport near Moscow, although the runways are controlled by the state....

, founded by Dmitry Kamenshik, who build capital in the early 1990s on hauling cargo from Asian countries to Russia, invested in several facilities at Domodedovo, including a new customs terminal and catering services. In late 1996, Kamenshik-led East Line Group
East Line Group
East Line Group is an airport infrastructure business in Russia. It operates Domodedovo International Airport near Moscow, although the runways are controlled by the state....

 privatized the terminal facilities of Domodedovo Airport and formed JSC 'International Airport Domodedovo' and several other commercial entities controlling the airfield operations at the airport. Since 1998, the runways, air traffic control and communication facilities are formally on a lease to the subsidiary of East Line Group. Later, in 2005 and 2008, the legality of these deals with East Line Group was contested by the Russian Rosimushchestvo
Rosimushchestvo
The Federal Agency for State Property Management was a subdivision of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade that managed Russia's federal state property...

 government agency supervising the state property.

East Line's strategic goal to stabilize the airport's future and to establish Domodedovo as an important international and multi-modal transportation hub was gradually achieved throughout the 2000s. In the early 2000s, East Line Group began to heavily invest in reconstruction and modernization of the outdated airport facilities. By 2009, the terminal floor space was expanded to 135,000 sq. meters from 70,000 sq. meters in 2004. The renovated terminal and airport facilities allowed the owners of the airport to attract British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

, El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...

, Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines AG is the principal airline of Switzerland operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport...

, Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...

, and Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Austria, headquartered in Office Park 2 on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat, Wien-Umgebung and a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Together with regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways and charter arm Lauda Air, it operates...

, who moved their flights from another major international Moscow airport, Sheremetyevo Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport , is an international airport located in the Moscow Oblast, Russia, north-west of central Moscow. 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...

, to Domodedovo. They were followed by Emirates
Emirates Airline
Emirates is the airline based in the Emirate of Dubai part of the United Arab Emirates . Based at Dubai International Airport it is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 2,400 flights per week, from its hub at Terminal 3, to 111 cities in 62 countries across six continents...

, Brussels Airlines
Brussels Airlines
Brussels Airlines is a flag carrier airline headquartered in the b.house on the grounds of Brussels Airport and in Diegem, Machelen, Belgium and a subsidiary of Lufthansa. It is the largest airline based in Belgium, operating to over 65 destinations in 20 European countries as well as long-haul...

, Thai Airways International
Thai Airways International
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Thailand. Formed in 1988, the airline's headquarters are located in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and operates out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Thai is a...

, Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...

, Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...

, Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...

 and Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...

. Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...

 also moved certain cargo operations to Domodedovo. The airport became the hub for some of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

's major airlines like S7 Airlines
S7 Airlines
OJSC Siberia Airlines , operating as S7 Airlines, is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. S7 Airlines has been Russia's fastest-growing airline and recently passed Aeroflot as Russia's largest domestic airline.S7 has operated scheduled passenger...

 and Transaero
Transaero
OJSC Transaero Airlines or simply Transaero is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Domodedovo International Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia. It operates scheduled and charter flights to more than 99 domestic and international destinations...

, which is now the main tenant in the airport. Domodedovo topped Sheremetyevo Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport , is an international airport located in the Moscow Oblast, Russia, north-west of central Moscow. 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...

 in terms of passenger traffic becoming the busiest airport in Russia. By 2010, the traffic at Domodedovo spiked to over 22 million passengers per year from 2.8 million in 2000.

Domodedovo is Russia's first airport to have parallel runways operating simultaneously. Since the air traffic control tower was redeveloped in 2003, Domodedovo can control over 70 take-offs and landings an hour. By late 2000s, the airport had five business lounges, set up by individual airlines.
Domodedovo Airport has been the focus of two terrorist-related incidents. In 2004, suicide bombers managed to pass airport security and get aboard of two passenger planes and then carry out the bombings after departure from Domodedovo. Despite the heightened security measures taken after this incident, another suicide bomber attack occurred on January 24, 2011, when an Islamist militant entered the terminal building and detonated a bomb in the arrival hall. As a result, mandatory screening and pat-down practices have been introduced at the airport terminal entrances.

The identity of East Line's owners controlling the operations at Domodedovo Airport was vague with traces leading to offshore companies
Offshore company
The term offshore company is ambiguous. It may refer to either:# A company which is incorporated outside the jurisdiction of its primary operations regardless of whether that jurisdiction is an offshore financial centre i.e...

. However, in May 2011, Dmitry Kamenshik was disclosed to be the main beneficiary of East Line's assets. At that time, Domodedovo Airport contemplated IPO
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...

, however these plans were scrapped.

Rail

The airport has a railway station with service to the Paveletsky Rail Terminal in the central Moscow. Rail connection is provided by non-stop Aeroexpress
Aeroexpress
Aeroexpress Ltd. is the air rail link operator in Moscow, Russia. It was formed in 2005. The company is owned by JSC "Russian Railways" and "TransGroup AS" Ltd., each owning 50% shares....

 trains (takes 45 min; coach class costs 320 rubles, business class costs 550 rubles), as well as by regular suburban commuter trains (takes 65 to 70 min and costs 99 rubles).

Road

The airport has several short- and long-term parking lots. The terminal is accessed from the junction of Moscow Ring Road and Kashirskoye Highway
Kashirskoye Highway
Kashirskoye Highway or Kashira Highway is a major street in Moscow, Russia, continued as a highway beyond the city into Moscow Oblast as a backup route for highway M4. It was named in the 19th century after the old Kashira Road, which led to the town of Kashira. It was one of the sites of the...

 via a designated 14-mile-long four-lane freeway. Licensed taxi, limo services and car rental (Hertz
The Hertz Corporation
Hertz Global Holdings Inc is an American car rental company with international locations in 145 countries worldwide.-Early years:The company was founded by Walter L. Jacobs in 1918, who started a car rental operation in Chicago with a dozen Model T Ford cars. In 1923, Jacobs sold it to John D...

, Avis
Avis Budget Group
Avis Budget Group, Inc. operates Avis Rent A Car System, LLC , Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. and Budget Truck Rental, LLC...

 and Sixt
Sixt
Sixt is a European car rental company. It has around 3,500 service stations in over 80 countries. Sixt was founded in 1912 by Martin Sixt in Munich.-Company facts:*Revenue : €1.44 billion*EBIT: €153.3 million*EBT: €121.647 million*Employees: 2,015...

) providers are available at the counters of the arrival hall.

Terminals

Domodedovo Airport has one terminal building comprising two separate concourses for domestic (and some former Soviet republic countries) and international flights, respectively. It has 22 jetways altogether.

As of November 2011, new concourse extensions adjacent to the current terminal building are under construction. The construction is projected to increase the overall size of the passenger terminal to 225,000 m2. The extensions are scheduled to open in stages in 2012 and 2013. All concourses will remain connected and planned to increase the efficiency of the airport operations and passenger connections by using ICAO and IATA
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...

 transfer technologies.

Airbus A380 future operators

Emirates is the first airline which plans to put an A380 in service, on the route Dubai-Moscow-Dubai. Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...

 has also been suggested on the routes to Frankfurt or Munich, Etihad
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Established in July 2003 and based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad commenced operations in November 2003....

 to Abu-Dhabi and Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...

 to Doha.

Plans are also in discussion for hub airline Transaero
Transaero
OJSC Transaero Airlines or simply Transaero is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Domodedovo International Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia. It operates scheduled and charter flights to more than 99 domestic and international destinations...

, but it has yet to choose between Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...

 and Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental
Boeing 747-8
The Boeing 747-8 is a wide-body jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Officially announced in 2005, the 747-8 is the fourth-generation Boeing 747 version, with lengthened fuselage, redesigned wings and improved efficiency...

, with the decision in 2012, although it is likely to favor the A380.

All A380 flights will be from the new concourse.

Airlines and destinations


Technical landings

Cargo airlines and destinations

Other facilities

The head office of Transaero
Transaero
OJSC Transaero Airlines or simply Transaero is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Domodedovo International Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia. It operates scheduled and charter flights to more than 99 domestic and international destinations...

 is located on the airport property. Russian Sky Airlines has its head office on the airport property. When Domodedovo Airlines
Domodedovo Airlines
JSC "Domodedovo Airlines" was an airline with its head office on the grounds of Domodedovo International Airport in Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia. It operated scheduled flights within Russia and the CIS, with a focus on flights to the Russian Far East. The airline also operated...

 existed, its head office was on the airport property.

Incidents and accidents

  • In August 2004, two female Chechen suicide-bombers were responsible for a serious security breach at the airport which destroyed two planes (Volga-AviaExpress
    Volga-Aviaexpress
    LCC Air Volga was an airline with its head office in the Omega Plaza business centre in Moscow, Russia. It operated scheduled services from its base at Volgograd International Airport to cities in Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan....

     Flight 1303 and Siberia Airlines Flight 1047) and killed 90 passengers (Russian aircraft bombings of August 2004
    Russian aircraft bombings of August 2004
    The Russian aircraft bombings of August 2004 were terrorist attacks on two domestic Russian passenger aircraft at around 23:00 on August 24, 2004. Both planes had flown out of Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow....

    ). Since that time East Line has instigated a new security policy and has spent $20 million on security and detection equipment, which has been installed at the airport. Some of the new security equipment included full body scanners on all checkpoints to the departure hall, making Domodedovo one of the first airports in the world to use this technology.
  • On March 22, 2010, a Russian Tu-204 Aviastar-TU jet, which originated from Hurghada in Egypt, crashed in a forest while trying to land at Domodedovo. There were no fatalities reported, however four of the crew were seriously injured.
  • On December 4, 2010, South East Airlines Flight 372 made an emergency landing at Domodedovo, killing two people and injuring 56.
  • On December 25, 2010, freezing rain
    Freezing rain
    Freezing rain is the name given to rain that falls when surface temperatures are below freezing. The raindrops become supercooled while passing through a sub-freezing layer of air, many hundred feet , just above the surface, and then freeze upon impact with any object they encounter. The resulting...

     caused widespread power outages in Moscow
    Moscow
    Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

     and suburbs, including Domodedovo. The power lines feeding Domodedovo Airport and the railroad link were severed resulting in the shutdown of the terminal for several hours and the spike in taxi cab fares.
  • On January 24, 2011, an explosion caused by a suicide bomber killed 37 people and injured 173 people.

External links

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