Today, on July 2, 2024, Vnukovo International Airport celebrates its 83rd birthday. During its long history, the airport has evolved from a small airfield into one of the leading air transportation complexes in Russia and Europe.
Vnukovo nowadays is proud of:
— Three passenger terminals: the airfield complex operates Vnukovo-1 (terminals A, B and D), Vnukovo-2 (official delegations) and Vnukovo-3 (business aviation).
— Two modern runways: the airport has a capacity of 58 takeoffs and landings per hour and can serve any type of aircraft.
— More than 250 flight destinations: airplanes from Vnukovo fly all over Russia and worldwide.
— Over 16 million passengers annualy: Vnukovo is constantly among the top three leading airports in Russia in terms of passenger traffic.
— Wide range of services: comfortable waiting areas and business lounges, stores, cafes, restaurants, medical centers and many other services are available for passengers.
— Transport accessibility: four highways lead to the airport from the city center. In 2023 the first and so far the only Russian subway station at the airport was opened next to terminal A.
During 83 years of service, Vnukovo has made a huge contribution to the development of Russian aviation. The airport has become an important transportation hub that provides connections between Moscow and other regions of Russia, as well as with many parts of the world.
The airport was launched ahead of schedule on July 2, 1941, at a difficult moment in the country’s history. It became the base for the Moscow Special Purpose Air Squad, military and transport aircraft departed from here — initially to defend Moscow, and later to support the Soviet counter-offensive. Then, in 1945, the Victory Banner that had been hoisted over the Reichstag and the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany both arrived to Vnukovo.
In the post-war decades, Vnukovo became the largest airport of the USSR, and its work was always closely connected with the milestones of history. It was here that the first cosmonaut of the Earth, Yuri Gagarin, was welcomed on April 14, 1961 after his pioneer spaceflight. Since 1963, when the Vnukovo-2 terminal was launched, the airport has been receiving and seeing off aircraft with the top officials of the country, foreign government delegations and heads of state on board.
In 1980, the airport welcomed participants and guests of the Moscow Olympics from all over the world. To make it properly, a new terminal building was constructed (the current terminal D). As a result, the capacity of the airport increased to 12 million passengers per year.
Over the years new types of aircraft departed from Vnukovo on their first passenger flights. For instance, Il-12, Il-14, Il-18, Il-86, Tu-104, Tu-114, Tu-124, Tu-134, Tu-154, Tu-204, Tu-204-300 and others.
In 2018, following the results of the All-Russian voting «Great Names of Russia», the airport was named after Russian aircraft constructor engineer Andrei Tupolev, and a year later his bust was installed inside terminal A. In the same year of 2019, the airport set a record and served more than 24 million passengers — this is twice as much as the entire capacity in the year of the Moscow Olympics.
On its birthday, Vnukovo International Airport looks to the future with confidence and optimism. We are proud of our history and continue to develop, introducing new technologies, improving our service and remaining a reliable partner for airlines and passengers.
Vnukovo International Airport is one of the largest air transport hubs in Russia, with around 200 thousand flights operated by both the Russian and foreign air carriers handled every year. The airport’s route network covers the entire territory of Russia, as well as countries all over the world. In 2019, Vnukovo International Airport broke a historical record and served over 24 million passengers. The airport complex with a total area of about 300 thousand sq. m. is capable of providing a capacity of up to 35 million passengers per year. Vnukovo International Airport, the only one among the airports in Russia, has the Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for labor achievements and high results in professional activities. Furthermore, Vnukovo Airport was recognized as the best airport in the highest category «International Airport» of the national award «Air Gates of Russia» (part of the National Aviation Infrastructure Show, NAIS) for three years in a row.
