Zhukovsky International Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zhukovsky Жуковский
IATA: ZIA ICAO: UUBW LID: РНУ
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Ramport Aero
Serves	Moscow
Location	Zhukovsky, Russia
Focus city for	Ural Airlines
Elevation AMSL	123 m / 404 ft
Coordinates	55°33′12″N 038°9′6″E / 55.55333°N 38.15167°E / 55.55333; 38.15167
Website	zia.aero
Map
UUBW Location in Moscow Oblast Show map of Moscow Oblast UUBW Location in European Russia Show map of European Russia UUBW Location in Europe Show map of Europe
Runway
Runway Length Surface m ft 12/30 4,600 [1] 15,100 Concrete
Statistics (2018)
Passengers 1,161,633 Passenger change 17-18 173.0%

Zhukovsky Airport (ZIA, UUBW) is an international airport in Russia. It is located in Zhukovsky, about 36 kilometers (22 miles) southeast of central Moscow. The airport was once known as Ramenskoye.

Airport History: From Testing to Travel

A satellite photo of Zhukovsky Airport from 2019. The airport is located to the left and below the runways.

The land where Zhukovsky Airport now stands has a long history. In 1941, it became a major testing site for aircraft. This was for the Gromov Flight Research Institute. Many big Russian aircraft design companies used this airfield. It was even used to test the Soviet Buran Spacecraft. This was a special space shuttle. The airfield also helped the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

In 2011, Vladimir Putin, who was Russia's prime minister then, suggested a change. He wanted to move some flights to Ramenskoye Airport. This would help make other Moscow airports less busy. It could also make plane tickets cheaper.

A new airport building was constructed. The airport was supposed to open in March 2016. But it was delayed because of some issues. On May 30, 2016, the airport officially opened. Its name was changed to Zhukovsky Airport. This was after the city it is in. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attended the opening event.

The company that runs the airport is called "Ramport Aero". It is a partnership between a company from Lithuania and a state corporation from Russia. They planned to make the airport bigger in three steps. The airfield is also famous for hosting the MAKS Airshow. This is a big airshow that happens every two years.

Building a Modern Airport

The Gromov Flight Research Institute airfield in 2011, before the airport construction began.

Inside the airport terminal.

There are big plans for Zhukovsky International Airport. By 2019, they planned to build two passenger terminals. These terminals would handle millions of passengers each year. They also planned a hotel, office buildings, and parking lots. There would be space for thousands of cars. The first part of the new airport opened in 2016. It was designed to serve 1.7 million people. By 2020, the goal was to reach 10.8 million passengers.

In 2015, the first passenger terminal was built. It is 17.6 thousand square meters big. This terminal can handle two million passengers a year. Over 1.5 billion rubles (about $27 million) were invested in this first stage.

Overall, about 13 billion rubles will be invested in the airport over 13 years. More than 240 thousand square meters of airport buildings will be constructed. In the future, they plan to make the first terminal much bigger. They also want to build a second passenger terminal. When all the building is done, the airport will be able to handle 12 million passengers each year.

However, some people have different ideas. They think the airport might not get as many passengers. This is because its airspace is close to Domodedovo airport.

The airport's growth also means better roads and transport nearby. But people living in Zhukovsky city have some worries. They are concerned that more cars will cause traffic jams. They also worry about noise from airplanes flying all day and night.

Airlines and Destinations

Many airlines fly to and from Zhukovsky Airport. Here are some of them:

Passenger Flights

Cargo Flights

Some airlines also use Zhukovsky for cargo, which means carrying goods instead of people.

Airport Statistics

Getting to the Airport

There are different ways to travel to Zhukovsky Airport.

By Train

The closest train station is Otdykh station. You can take an express electric train called "Sputnik" from Moscow's Kazansky railway station. This train makes two stops and takes about 37 minutes. There are trains on weekdays from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. From Otdykh station, you can take a bus to the airport. The bus leaves about 8 minutes after the Sputnik train arrives. The bus ride takes about 20 minutes.

By Bus

You can also take a direct bus from Kotelniki metro station. This is bus number 441. The bus ride takes about 64 minutes. Buses leave every 12 minutes, but this can change depending on traffic.

Airport Incidents

Sometimes, unexpected things happen at airports.

• On August 15, 2019, Ural Airlines Flight U6-178 was taking off from Zhukovsky Airport. The plane was an Airbus A321 with 226 passengers and 7 crew members. Shortly after takeoff, the plane hit some birds. This is called a bird strike. The pilots had to make an emergency landing in a cornfield. This field was less than 3 miles from the runway. The plane landed without its landing gear down. 23 people were taken to the hospital.

See Also

In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Moscú-Zhukovski para niños

• List of the busiest airports in Russia
• List of the busiest airports in Europe
• List of the busiest airports in the former USSR