Vnukovo International Airport

Vnukovo International Airport is the oldest operating commercial airport in Moscow and one of the three major airports serving the Russian capital, alongside Sheremetyevo (SVO) and Domodedovo (DME). Located 17 mi (28 km) southwest of central Moscow at 685 ft (209 m) elevation, VKO handles 99 routes across 74 destinations through 26 airlines — a destination count that rivals major European capitals and reflects its role as the primary base for the Russian low-cost carrier segment. The airport dates to 1941, when it served as a fighter base during the Battle of Moscow, and retains historical infrastructure alongside heavily modernized passenger facilities. Vnukovo is the principal hub for Pobeda (Aeroflot's low-cost subsidiary and Russia's largest LCC by passengers), Utair (full-service operations and helicopter fleet), and Azur Air, while also hosting extensive service from Rossiya, Red Wings, Nordwind, IrAero, UVT Aero, and foreign carriers including Turkish Airlines, Belavia, Uzbekistan Airways, flydubai, Air Serbia, Kyrgyzstan's Air Manas, and several Central Asian and Caucasus operators. The airport serves as Russia's primary handler of government and VIP aviation at the adjacent Vnukovo-2 terminal (used by presidential, ministerial, and foreign head-of-state flights) and Vnukovo-3, the dedicated business aviation terminal that is one of the largest FBO operations in Europe. The airfield has two asphalt runways — 06/24 at 11,483 ft (3,500 m) and 01/19 at 10,039 ft (3,060 m) — supporting full widebody operations including An-124 Ruslan freighter movements. Terminal A, the main passenger building, opened in 2010 and spans over 270,000 sq m (2.9M sq ft), and is among the largest standalone terminals in Russia. Vnukovo became the first Moscow airport directly connected to the metro network when Aeroport Vnukovo station opened on the Solntsevskaya line (8A) in 2023, supplementing the long-running Aeroexpress rail link to Kiyevsky station and making VKO unusually well-integrated into Moscow's public transport system for a large-hub airport.