The 10th of November is an important date in the history of Russia’s aviation industry. Today is the birthday of Andrei N. Tupolev, the greatest Russian aircraft engineer, academician and Hero of Socialist Labor. It is the 134th anniversary of his birth. Andrei Tupolev led the design of the whole series of passenger and military aircraft. Tupolev’s Experimental Design Bureau developed about 300 models and modifications, 90 of which ended up as prototypes and over 40 in series production. Since 1923, more than 18,000 Tupolev airplanes were built, about 1,000 of them were delivered to 20 countries. Tupolev aircraft set about 280 world records in terms of range and load-carrying capacity.
The history of Vnukovo International Airport is closely connected to the name of the legendary aircraft engineer. Vnukovo created and tested multiple air transport technologies and helped to hone skills of the best aviation experts. In accordance with the presidential Decree No. 246 of May 31, 2019 «On naming airports after individuals with special contributions to the Motherland», Vnukovo airport was named after A.N. Tupolev. At the airport, there is a bust of the great aircraft engineer.
Andrei N. Tupolev left a huge legacy. «I am not a writer, I am a maker», he once said. This phrase perfectly reflects the approach of this aircraft engineering genius.
Vnukovo International Airport is one of the largest air transport facilities in Russia. The airport handles about 200,000 flights of Russian and foreign airlines annually. Its network covers the whole territory of Russia as well as near and far-abroad countries. In 2019, Vnukovo International Airport broke a historical record and served more than 24 million passengers. Vnukovo airport terminal with a total area of about 300,000 square meters is able to handle up to 35 million passengers per year. Vnukovo International Airport is the only airport in Russia to have received Letter of Commendation from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for labor achievements and high performance. Moreover, Vnukovo Airport was recognized as the Best International Airport by Air Gateway of Russia award at National Aviation Infrastructure Show (NAIS) for three consecutive years.
