Merger, anyone?

Inspired by the resumed growth in air passenger traffic figures, the Russian government has started making plans for further development of Moscow’s airport infrastructure. The idea to merge two of the capital’s three major airports, announced this spring, is aimed at increasing their throughput. Both Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo are owned by government structures; putting them together would produce Russia’s largest airport.
Sheremetyevo handled 19.3 million passengers in 2010 or 31% up on the previous year. Vnukovo had a passenger flow of 9.5 million, 22.4% more than the year before. But privately-owned Domode­dovo remains the largest airport both in Moscow and all of Russia. Last year it handled 22.3 million passengers — an increase of 19.2% year-on-year and the highest result in the airport’s history.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting this spring, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed merging Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo and subsequently having them privatized as a single entity. At present the Moscow city administration holds 75% in Vnukovo (the remaining 25% is owned by the management company Vnukovo-Invest); Sheremetyevo is fully owned by the federal government.