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January 11, 2015Moscow Sheremetyevo Spotting Guide
- last modified on October 19, 2021
Moscow Sheremetyevo is one of the three major airports (the other being Vnukovo and Domodedovo) serving Russia capital city. It is the second busiest airport in the country handling almost 50 million passengers in 2019. SVO is the major hub for the airline Aeroflot.
Other Russian airlines, especially Nordwind, operating at this airport though most of their flights are charter flights. Furthermore, due to the SkyTeam membership of Aeroflot, most of the other SkyTeam carriers also fly to SVO in Moscow. But the Aeroflot presence at this airport is extremely strong (due to some carriers flying to the other airports in the city) and they make up at least 90% of aircraft movements. If you are a bit lucky you can also catch some military movements, for example from Il-76s. In general though, you will see less of the old (and loud) Russian airliners like Tu-134, Tu-154, or Yak-42 here in SVO in comparison to VKO or DME.
Written by Anna Zvereva. Last Update October 2021.
| Rating | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 06L/24R | 3.200 m (10.499 ft) |
| 06C/24C | 3.550 m (11.647 ft) |
| 06R/24L | 3.700 m (12.139 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal A | Used as business aviation terminal |
| Terminal B/C (north) | Almost all Aeroflot flights |
| Terminals D/E/F /(south) | All other carriers |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required |
| Car/Public Transport | Car would be useful. But the main spots can also be reached by bus (but it takes a while), so it is not necessary. |
| Restrooms | Inside the terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | Inside terminal and lot of shops/fast food restaurants around the airport. |
| Hotels | There are a few well known chain hotels at the airport. |
| Season | Traffic is more interesting and the chance for good weather is higher during the summer season (April to October). |
| Security | Spotting in general is becoming more and more popular in Russia and problems with the police should be the exception but it is not recommended to approach perimeter fence closer than 10m at any location. Staying closer than 10m away will trigger internal alarm and security crew will arrive shortly. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 06R/24L | Mainly used for departures. |
| 06C/24C | Mainly used for departures but also handles part of arriving traffic – often heavies |
| 06L/24R | New runway. Mainly used for landings. |
Taxi Parking on Novoye Shosse - Runway 06C, 06R departures
| WHERE | Take the bus 817 from Terminals D, E or a shuttles 949 or 948 to the stop “Industrial’nyy park “Sheremetyevo” (Sheremetyevo Industrial Park). There is a taxi parking spot across the road (now under construction, so better to use public transport). When runways 06 are in operation this location gives view of all departures. Take extreme caution when crossing the road. The traffic is dense. |
| WHAT | Runway 06C, 06R departures. |
| TIME | Time 08:00 AM till 04:30 PM |
| MISC. | There is a store in Klyaz’ma village within 10 minutes of walk from the spot. There is a Lukoil petrol station about 5 minutes away. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 280mm for A320, 150mm-200mm for A350 and B787 |
Field - 24L, 24C arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located literally underneath the approach paths to runways 24C and 24L. Adjust your position along the road to get the desired angle. Hard to find parking there, use public transport. |
| WHAT | Location for RWY 24L, 24C Arrivals. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. In winter you can use it all day. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 110mm for an A319, 60mm for a B772. |
Civil Aviation University bus stop - 24C arrivals evening
| WHERE | The spot is within easy walking distance of Spot #2. If you are going directly here, or want to get back from this spot, better use the bus stop “Civil Aviation University” / “Университет гражданской авиации”. You can use bus stop for taking photos or move along the road to get the desired angle. Hard to find parking there, use public transport. |
| WHAT | From here you can shoot the arrivals on RWY 24C in the evening. |
| TIME | Only good in late summer evenings from around 6 PM. |
| MISC. | Nothing is here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100mm for B767 and A330. 180mm for B737. |
Terminal C Car Parking Building - 24C,24L, 06C,06R Movements
| WHERE | Take any public transportation to the northern terminals (B and C) or park the car in the terminal C car park building. Take the level 6 which is literally the open roof of the building. This level is for employees and can be accessed by staircase or car exit ramp in the western part of the building. Maximum daily price of the parking is 800 RUB. |
| WHAT | This location gives view of the western parts of runways 06C-24C and 06R-24L, taxiways and ramp area. For the “original” area of the airport the location is good in summer in the evening or during cloudy weather. Departures in both 06 and 24 directions and taxiing traffic are visible from the spot. Final approach to runway 24R is also visible from this spot and is good at the time from 08:00 AM till 04:30 PM. |
| TIME | Sunrise till 7 AM or 5 PM till sunset |
| MISC. | Terminals B and C are within walking distance. All facilities are there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 160mm-260mm for heavies, 300mm for A320 |
Taxiway D bridge - 06C/06R arrivals and taxiway D
| WHERE | NOTE: this location is not a preferred point for spotting since lack of place to cross the road safely and perimeter fence proximity that may draw security personnel attention. It is better to use location 8 instead.
Location is accessible by car however it is hard to find a parking spot since there are restrictions for parking on the main road. There is an unpaved road going to Parshino village through construction site near the taxiway bridge where the car may be left. The location can also be reached by public transportation – buses 817 or 851. If you go by bus, exit at “GosNIIGA” stop and walk along Sheremetyevo highway towards the taxiway bridge. Take extreme caution when crossing the highway since there is no official pedestrian cross or walk there. |
| WHAT | The location offers the views to final approach to runways 06C and 06R and traffic going along the taxiway bridge. |
| TIME | Best time for this location is after 11:00 for taxiway bridge and after 17:00 for approaches to runways 06. |
| MISC. | You ll find a gas station about 800m north on the main street to buy food or drinks. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | |
Parshino village - Taxiway D
| WHERE | Located within walking distance from Location 5. Proceed along the unpaved road towards Parshino village and park the car next to the entrance to the village. The location is good since 11:00.
If you walk along the perimeter fence about 200m towards runway 06L-24R there will be slightly different perspective of the traffic taxiing along taxiway D. Use caution when walking through grassy areas as insects may be there. |
| WHAT | The location gives view to taxiway D from a small hill. |
| TIME | The light on the runway is good from 08:00 till 17:00. |
| MISC. | Nothing is here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 35mm – 55mm for Superjet and A320, 32mm for B748, 110mm for A350, 240mm for A330 |
Dubrovki Village - Runway O6L/24R, Taxiway D, E
| WHERE | Located from the eastern side of taxiway D at the corner to taxiway E. Car can be left in Dubrovki village in the closest street to the runway 06L-24R. The location is also accessible by public transportation. Take bus 48 to “Dubrovki village” stop which is the terminal stop. Exit the bus and go towards the runway on the outer street. Once you reach the perimeter fence proceed on a small path parallel to the runway to the west. Choose any convenient location along the area. |
| WHAT | Runway 06L/24R and taxiway D, E. |
| TIME | Best time is from 8:00 till 17:00 for runway 06L-24R and till about 14:00 for traffic on taxiway D. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 45mm for C130, 30mm for A321, 80-110mm for others |
The hill - Runway 06L/24R
| WHERE | Located on the hill from the northern side of runway 06L/24R. The nearest public transportation is “Lunyovo” stop of buses 35, 36 and 45. Buses 35 and 36 depart from Skhodnya railway station. Access by car is via Dubovaya street of Lunyovo village. The car may be parked at the location however there can be much mud during rainy weather. The location is on the hill that has elevation above the runway and gives good angle to the traffic approaching 24R. |
| WHAT | Runway 06L/24R. |
| TIME | Best time is after 17:00 in summer. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 65mm for Superjet, 85mm for A320, 175mm for B738 |
Perepechenskoye shosse - 06L Arrivals
| WHERE | Go to the north by Leningradskoye shosse and take right on the junction with Perepechinskoye shosse. Proceed further to roundabout and take the side road till a small paved spot where you can park your car. The location gives a close view to the traffic approaching runway 06L. |
| WHAT | Runway 06L Threshold. |
| TIME | Time: from 08:00 AM till 4:30 PM. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 130mm for Superjet, 100mm for A320 |
Sheremetyevskoye shosse - 06C, 06R Arrivals
| WHERE | Drive on the “Sheremet’evskoe shosse” to be about 1 km away from Leningradskoye motorway. Park your car on the road side. There is also a bus stop at this place. Another option is to get further to GosNIIGA institute, take a U-turn and get back to the same location on the other side of the road. You’ll get the landings to 06C and 06R there.
There is a place to take pictures of landings runways 06C and 06R during the first half of the day along the road. From this point you may see all the departures from runways 06 but not possible to take pictures due to the distance, the grass and the fences. Departures runways 24 are already high at this location. |
| WHAT | 06C, 06R Arrivals |
| TIME | Time from 8 AM till 4:30 PM |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 140mm for IL-76, 180mm for A321 and B739 |
Field - 06R, 06C Arrivals and Departures; 24L, 24C Departures
| WHERE | Accessible by car if you proceed by the local road (Burtsevskoye shosse) either from Leningradskoye highway or from Klyazma village. Gives views to traffic approaching to 06C and 06R as well as departures from 24L or 24C. Holding positions for runways 06C and 06R at taxiways B1, 11, A1 are also visible however may be obstructed by construction works. |
| WHAT | 06R, 06C Arrivals and Departures; 24L, 24C Departures |
| TIME | Best lighting is from 8:00 till 17:00. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 185mm for A350, 120mm for A330 and B748, 160mm for B739 and A321, 220mm for B757 |
Radisson Blu hotel “Altitude” Restaurant - 24C,24L, 06C,06R Movements
| WHERE | Go to Terminals E and F by any public transportation and walk to Radisson Blu hotel. “Altitude” restaurant gives the view of southern ramp adjacent to Terminals D, E and F and approximately half length of runways 24C-06C and 24L-06R. There are options of taking photos through the glass which is not really preferred due to possible distortion or use the open terrace. The terrace is usually open during summer time and good weather. It is closed during rain or heavy wind. If you plan to access the terrace it is better to give a call to the restaurant beforehand and check if it is open. Also an order in the restaurant is required to be allowed to stay at the location. If you come by car Radisson Blu hotel provides a dedicated parking for 200 RUB / Hr price. |
| WHAT | 24C,24L, 06C,06R Movements |
| TIME | Best lighting is from 8:00 till 17:00. Restaurant working hours are from 14.00 till 00.00. |
| MISC. | Restrooms inside restaurant. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80mm for A330 |
Update for spot 2. If you go along the road to spot 3, you can find some place for spotting evening arrivals. Good light in summer 17.30 to sunset.
Warning! No bus stop on opposite side of spot 2. Use stop near to spot 3. Bus routes 817 and 851 from Moscow.
Does runway 24R still exist? It doesn’t show on Flightradar.
And what is the name of the busstop where you have to get off for spots 1 and 2? When i try to Google which bus to take it looks as if there isn’t any busstop there.
Still? It is not even 2 years in operation.. google maps is probably not updated yet. Try to use Yandex for Russia, same for the busstop. It’s a good thing to go to Russia prepared you know 😉
Yesterday they used 24R 😉
And as Tjorn said, use the yandex map tool for public transport in russia.
-Julian
Update from the place. Unfortunately spots 6,7,8,9 not actually now due to 06L/24R since last year. Most useful spots are 2,3 and 5.
Does anyone know if spotting airside is possible/tolerated when transiting through the airport?
I transited through in August 2018 and had no problems taking photos from airside.
Spot 5 is no more field but working area for the new runway/taxiway. Hiwever there is still space on the other side of the road, but there isn’t really parking space anymore. Just the emergency lane of the highway on which sometimes people park..
i am transiting threw Moscow for 6 hours is there a good pace to spott air side thanks