Airports in Russia

Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) is located 26 miles (42km) from central Moscow. It serves the area alongside the depressing Sheremetyevo International Airport, offering passengers a modern and much more cheerful entry point to the proud culture and history of Russia.

Processing more than 22 million passengers each year, flights to Moscow Domodedovo Airport come from all over the world, including major cities such as London, Cairo, Hong Kong, Madrid, Athens, Berlin, Vienna, Dubai, Tokyo, Barcelona, Houston, Singapore, Lisbon, Washington DC, Tel Aviv and Doha.

The airport also serves a number of domestic routes, and many passengers pass a few hours here on their way to St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk and other Russian cities. The huge numbers of passengers in a relatively small facility mean long queues are a common experience.

In early 2011 Moscow Domodedovo Airport was hit by a terrorist attack, so security has been much tighter ever since. It’s best to leave plenty of extra time for delays when catching a flight from the airport.

Irkutsk International Airport (IKT) is situated 5 miles (8km) from central Irkutsk in Eastern Siberia, Russia. Irkutsk is the gateway to central Russia and is one of the largest cities in Siberia.

The airport’s two passenger terminals are within easy walking distance of each other, but passengers traveling during winter should remember to be dressed for the occasion as “freezing” does not even begin to describe Siberian winters. Even a short walk between terminals or between your plane and a terminal will leave you chilled to the core.

Many of the airlines based at Irkutsk International Airport are Russian carriers or from neighboring countries such as Mongolia and Tajikistan. One of the easiest ways to get a flight to Irkutsk International Airport is via Moscow, Beijing and Antalya in Turkey.

Irkutsk Airport is close to Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater lakes. The airport is well located for passengers wishing to explore some of the sights of central Russia.

Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport is the fifth-largest international airport in Russia, and the largest regional airport. It serves as the main gateway to Siberia and Ural, both major business centers, and is close to the Trans-Siberian Railway, which has a station in Ekaterinburg. Flights to Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport come from a number of cities across Russia, and a few in Europe and Asia.

Ekaterinburg is one of the largest cities in Russia, and is famous for its many theaters, libraries and museums. It'll take 30–40 minutes to get into town, but if you can, it'll be well worth exploring.

Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport has been renovated in recent years, and as it's currently operating below its capacity of eight million passengers per year, you won't need to queue for too long.

Pulkovo Airport (LED) is located roughly 12 miles (20km) from downtown St Petersburg, Russia. One of the busiest airports in the country, Pulkovo is a hub for Rossiya Airlines and processes nearly 9 million passengers each year.

The airport can best be described as “no frills,” with little to offer in the way of shopping or restaurants. One of the major complaints is the high prices, with a sandwich costing sometimes six times the price of a cafe in town. The airport also tends toward chaos, especially if you use popular Russian airline Aeroflot. Once you’re past security, it’s best to find your gate as soon as possible and take your cues from other passengers, as information is often only posted in Cyrillic.

Flights to Pulkovo Airport come from cities all over Europe and Asia in addition to the numerous domestic routes within Russia, including Rome, Paris, London, Tel Aviv, Helsinki, Beijing, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Oslo, Sharm-el-Sheikh, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Bangkok, Istanbul, and Phuket.

Also known as Knevichi Airport, Vladivostok Airport (VVO) is one of the primary hubs for Eastern Russia. Located not far from the North Korean border on Asia’s east coast, the airport is 31 miles (50km) outside of Vladivostok.

A small regional airport serving just over a million passengers a year, flights to Vladivostok are hard to find outside of the Asian subcontinent. There is direct service from cities including Moscow, St Petersburg, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, Hanoi and Tokyo.

The airport has big plans, however, as the government has announced that it will be rebuilt ahead of the APEC Russia 2012 Summit on Russky Island, south of Vladivostok.