Zhukovsky International Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zhukovsky International Airport Международный Аэропорт Жуковский
IATA: ZIA ICAO: UUBW LID: РНУ
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Ramport Aero
Serves	Moscow
Location	Zhukovsky, Russia
Focus city for	Red Wings Airlines 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 15,100 Concrete
Statistics (2018)
Passengers 1,161,633 Passenger change 17-18 173.0%

Zhukovsky Airport (also known by its codes ZIA and UUBW) is an international airport in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is about 36 kilometers (22 miles) southeast of central Moscow. The airport is located in the city of Zhukovsky. It is a few kilometers southeast of the old Bykovo Airport.

History of Zhukovsky Airport

The official logo of ZIA Airport before March 2025

A satellite photo of the airport taken in 2019

The area where the airport is now started as a military airbase in 1941. It was given to the new Gromov Flight Research Institute. This institute was a place where the USSR (the Soviet Union) tested new airplanes. Many big Russian aircraft design companies had facilities there.

In the 1980s, the airfield was used to test the Soviet Buran Spacecraft. This was a special space shuttle. The airport was also used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and for carrying cargo.

Until June 2006, people could even take flights in jet fighters like the Aero L-39 Albatros, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (Foxbat), and Mikoyan MiG-29 (Fulcrum) at the Gromov Flight Research Institute airfield. Some of these flights even went to the edge of space!

In March 2011, Vladimir Putin, who was the Russian prime minister at the time, suggested a big change. He wanted to move all charter and low-cost flights to this airport. At that time, it was called Ramenskoye Airport. The idea was to help reduce traffic at Moscow's other busy airports: Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo. This would also help make flight tickets cheaper.

A new terminal building was built for the airport. It was planned to open in March 2016. However, the opening was delayed because there wasn't enough interest from airlines and there were some issues with getting the airport certified.

The airport was originally named after the nearby city of Ramenskoye. But it was officially renamed after the city of Zhukovsky, where it is actually located. The airport finally opened on May 30, 2016. The opening ceremony was attended by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

The airfield is also famous for hosting the MAKS Airshow. This is a big airshow that happens every two years.

How Zhukovsky Airport Was Created

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

Inside the airport terminal in 2018

A special company called "Ramport Aero" was created to run the airport in 2016. This company was a partnership between Lithuania's Avia Solutions Group (which owned 75%) and Russia's state company Rostec (which owned 25%). They had plans to make the airport much bigger in three steps. The opening of the new airport was delayed, and there was a limit on how many planes could use Ramenskoye in 2016.

After new buildings and facilities for commercial flights were added, the airport officially opened in May 2016.

In 2016, Air France-KLM said they would use Ramenskoye as a backup airport. This would be for emergency situations if their planes couldn't land at Sheremetyevo.

In October 2018, Avia Solutions Group (ASG) sold its part of the airport management company. The management of Ramport Aero bought their share.

According to a plan from 2018, there were ideas to build two more passenger terminals by 2019. These terminals would be able to handle 2 million and 5 million passengers each year. There were also plans for a hotel with 250 rooms, office buildings, and parking for many cars. The first part of the new airport, opened in 2016, could handle 1.7 million passengers each year. If all the plans happened, it could handle up to 10.8 million passengers by 2020.

Developing this project was expected to make travel easier in the Moscow area.

Airlines and Destinations

Zhukovsky Airport serves many different places. Here are some of the airlines that fly there and where they go.

Passenger Flights

As of November 2023, these airlines offered regular flights to and from Zhukovsky:

Cargo Flights

These airlines carry goods to and from Zhukovsky:

Airport Statistics

Getting to Zhukovsky Airport

There are a few ways to get to Zhukovsky Airport using public transport.

By Train

The closest train station to Zhukovsky Airport is Otdykh station. There is no direct train from Moscow to the airport itself. You can take an express electric train called "Sputnik" from Moscow's Kazansky railway station to Otdykh station. This train makes two stops and takes about 37 minutes. It runs on weekdays from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. You can also take a regular suburban train to Otdykh station. From Otdykh station, buses go directly to Zhukovsky Airport. These buses leave about 8 minutes after the Sputnik train arrives and take about 20 minutes. Other local buses (routes 2, 6) also go to the "Pereezd" stop.

By Bus

There is a direct bus route, No. 441, from Kotelniki metro station in Moscow to Zhukovsky International Airport. The bus ride takes about 64 minutes. Buses usually come every 12 minutes, but this can change depending on traffic.

Accidents and Incidents

• On August 15, 2019, Ural Airlines Flight 178 was flying from Zhukovsky Airport to Simferopol. 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 less than 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometers) from the runway. The plane landed without its landing gear down. Even though 74 passengers needed medical help, only one person had a major injury, and everyone on board survived.

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