Providing ample space and infrastructure for business aviation remains a primary target for Moscow’s most famous airport.

The administration is committed to business aviation, Andrei Nikulin, deputy general manager of the airport administration, told AIN, but further development will have to wait until the airport’s third runway is complete, either in late 2017 or 2018. “As soon as the runway goes into operation and the immediate needs of Aeroflot in extra airport capacity are met, we will turn our attention to business aviation again,” he said.

The most recent investment in business aviation at the airport is Terminal A, essentially an FBO and “the most modern business aviation center in the whole of Russia,” he said. Terminal A became operational in January 2012 and boasts a 32,000-sq-ft (3,000 sq m) terminal with nominal annual capacity for 75,000 passengers. The hangar shelters an area of 172,000 sq ft (16,000 sq m) and the apron covers 250,000 sq ft (23,000 sq m).

Unlike Vnukovo (which serves many domestic flights and is a preferred destination for business jets), where all business aviation handling is provided by VIP-Port through its Vnukovo-3 “business aviation center,” Sheremetievo maintains a competitive environment. Two independent FBOs serve business aviation at the airport: Avia-Group operates Terminal A; and Avcom operates Premier-Avia Group. In addition, a VIP lounge occupies one wing of the passenger Terminal B and there is a separate Lukoil general aviation terminal. Both facilities are available for on-call requests for business jet handling.

Improved ground infrastructure–in the form of a new 12-lane autobahn that opened late last year–will “bring a portion of fresh air to the airport and support our profitable growth,” according to Nikulin, as the highway will ease traffic jams for visitors to the airport. Business aviation travelers coming to the aforementioned facilities by car from the southeast will benefit from a motorway renovation and widening program. “Together with the new Moscow-St. Petersburg autobahn, this will provide easy road access, especially to Terminal A,” said Nikulin. He also pointed out that a recent easing of the city’s overflight rules for rotorcraft has boosted helicopter service from Terminal A to downtown Moscow and nearby residential areas.