Moscow Vnukovo Airport Spotting Guide

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Moscow Vnukovo Airport Spotting Guide

Published by Anna at August 12, 2013 - last modified on June 26, 2021

Vnukovo International Airport is one of three major airports serving the Russian capital Moscow. It is located around 27 kilometers southwest of the city centre. Although it handles significantly less traffic (around 21 million passengers in 2018) than Domodedovo or Sheremetyevo it might be the most interesting airport to spot in Moscow. You will still see a lot of classic Russian airplanes in action, as UTAir (and a few other small Russian carriers) still use a few Yak-42s and Tu-154s on their services. With a little luck you might even get Tu-134s or some state operated aircraft like Il-62 or Il-76, so prepare your ears for amazing sounds and real airplanes!

Don’t expect too much airline variety as UTair is the biggest operator followed by Aeroflot and Pobeda. The airlines Gazpromavia, Rossiya Airlines, Yakutia or I-Fly add a little colour with their aircraft. But overall the traffic is very good, as a lot of the aircraft you will spot here, you will only ever see in Russia. You can also spot many interesting business jets in VKO as there is a big business aviation terminal Vnukovo-3.

The arrivals at VKO are mostly handled in peak times, which is great for spotting, as you will get a lot of traffic in a very short amount of time. The morning peak starts at 7:30 AM and lasts until 9:30 AM. After that though it might get very boring with only a handful of aircraft per hour. But those might still be highlights and worth the wait. In the evening the rush is from 4:30 PM until 7 PM.

Spotting in general is becoming more and more popular in Russia and problems with the police should be the exception. But VKO is used by many governments and political leaders, so when there are arrivals or departures of governmental persons it is not allowed to take pictures around the airport. You will be checked and asked to leave if police sees you doing spotting on locations near the fence.

Written by Jan Seba, Clive Grant, Alexander Stahl, Timo Frieg, Christian Preinl and Bas Velders. All spots checked July 2021.

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Airport Information
Runways
01/19	3.060 m
06/24	3.000 m
Terminals
Terminal A	Main terminal, used for domestic and international Flights
Terminal B	Closed
Terminal D	Performs after-flight inspection of passengers and luggage of some domestic flights.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not required and recommend to use at any of the locations. There are sensor installed at the fence.
Car/Public Transport	All of the spots can be reached by bus from the terminals or the city centre via Metro and Bus lines. See the each description for more details.
Restrooms	Inside terminal buildings/restaurants around the airport.
Drinks/Food	Inside terminal buildings and at some other locations (mentioned below). There is a huge mall next to “Salar’evo Station” which you might use.
Hotels	There is “DoubleTree by Hilton” hotel near the airport, which has “SkyLounge” bar on the 11th floor. There is good view on apron movements. Also hotel has some rooms view airport view.
Season	Traffic is more interesting and the chance for good weather is higher during the summer season (April to October).
Runway Usage
General Info	All runways are used for departures and arrivals. In the summer all wind directions are almost equally likely, while in winter you will mostly see winds from the south and east, thus arrivals using runway 19 or 06 are most likely.

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Access Road - 24 Afternoon Arrivals

WHERE	Only a few hundred meters southeast of the ground level of the terminal right on a grassy area below the access road. You can easily go there by foot and stay on both sides of the road. By car, park at the terminal parking.

WHAT	Runway 24 landings only.

TIME	Best light conditions from 1pm until sunset.

MISC.	Restrooms and restaurants in the terminal nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-300mm SSJ 100 = 250mm

Highway Shop - 24 Arrivals

WHERE	Just before you enter the ramp to the terminal there is a car parking mainly used by taxis. You can reach it from the south on the main road to the terminals or from the north via the ul. Tsentralnaya Road. Park your car there and move along the parking, depending where the angle is the best for you. It seems to be used by people making a long journey by car often to take a rest. This is a an alternative to the pervious location if you use a car but it is easily reached by foot as well from the terminal.

WHAT	Arrivals on RWY 24.

TIME	During summer in the early morning and afternoon. Backlit in winter.

MISC.	There was used to be a small shop but it is no longer there. Trucks driving by may sometimes photobomb.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm will cover most things

Lukoil petrol station - 24 Arrivals

WHERE	The Lukoil petrol station: The easiest way to reach this spot is by car. From the city of Moscow, you can follow the motorway M3. If you drive towards Moscow, the petrol station cannot be reached. You have to turn at the next motorway exit. If you are traveling by bus, take bus 911 from Vnukovo Airport and get out at ‘Sovkhoz “Meshkovo’. You can cross the road via the footbridge. Walking from the terminal is possible by passing spot 2 and continue on the bicycle path (marked on the map).

WHAT	Arrivals on RWY 24.

TIME	During summer in the early morning and afternoon untill ~15:00.

MISC.	There is a shop at the petrol station where you can purchase snacks and drinks. Be aware: When you are at the spot, stay at the bicyclepath between the highway and the petrol station (and try to stay out of sight as much as possible). Do not stay at the petrol station or the bus stop, you will likely be sent away.

FOCAL LENGTH	~100-250mm.

Street Tunnel - Morning 19 Arrival

WHERE	This spot is located in a indurstrial area next to a road tunnel leading to the terminals. Getting here by public transport from the city centre is very similar to the other locations. Go to the metro station “Yugo-Zapadnaya” and use bus number 611. After going to the terminal the bus goes around the airport, where you get off after a few more stops at the bus stop “ATC”. Walk back a few meters next to the road until you see a footpath to your left, directly to the spot along the tunnel entrance.Instead of metro and bus, you can also use the Aeroexpress Train to the terminals from metro station Kievskaya and then either walk the remaining distance or take bus 611. Using this method is probably a little faster, but also more expensive. Walking to this spot from the terminal should be possible but we did not test it.

WHAT	You can stand directly above the tunnel entrance and go a little back towards the trees. From here you will see the approach rather late (due to the trees), but it is still enough time to switch lenses if necessary.

TIME	Best light conditions are from sunrise until 1 PM.

MISC.	There aren’t any restrooms or shops close by, so take some food with you.

FOCAL LENGTH	70mm for a B773, 100-150mm for most narrow-body types.

On the pipes – Evening 19 Arrivals

WHERE	This spot is easily reachable from the previous morning location. Just walk through the approach path and turn into the first left. A couple more meters and you will already see the pipes above the street. The pipes or the fenced platforms on top can be used to elevate your position, so you should not have any problems with the fence.

WHAT	Arrivals and Line-Ups 19.

TIME	Light is good here from around 4:30 PM until sunset.

MISC.	Again you are very far from shops and restrooms, so prepare.

FOCAL LENGTH	You are a little closer here, so around 50mm for B773 and from 70-120mm for narrow-bodies CRJ200 landing = 160mm / IL76 line-up = 150mm

: Parking

: Climb up here

: View from the top

Highway - Morning 01 Arrivals

WHERE	The spot is located directly next to the M3 highway at the Lukoil station. To get there from the city centre, use the last metro station on the red line “Salar’evo Station”. Exit the station and look for the buses with the numbers 309, 490, 569 or 304. There might also be other buses, which go to this spot, as it is not always very clear which route each bus takes. Also lookout for the small minivans, which also have a number in the front and where the driver has to be paid in cash (so the multiuse metro tickets won’t work here). The advantage of these buses is that they run much faster.The bus stop to exit is called Аннино, pronounced “Annino”. There is a footbridge crossing the highway at the bus stop, which you should use. Then it is just a few metres walking next to the highway to reach the location.If you are arriving from the terminal it is a little more complicated, as there is no direct bus running to the approach. The fastest way is to use a taxi here. The cheapest (though time consuming) option is to use a bus in the direction of the city centre, get off at one of the bus stop at the M3 and take one of the above mentioned buses in the other direction. If you have a car use park in the small road next to the gas station “Lukoil” or use “Lukoil” park. You can use “Lukoil” park also as a spot.

WHAT	You are standing on a small strip of grass, behind of a few trees. You can just see the distant approach over the wall in the south and the aircraft will approach runway 01 over the highway, which is also where you can shoot the aircraft. There are lamp posts next to highway, which may disturb your image with low approaching larger aircraft. But you always have the option to walk a little closer to the runway, which might also be useful for the small regional aircraft.

TIME	Best light conditions are from sunrise until 1 PM.

MISC.	There is a gas station a few meters west of the spot, where you can buy food and drinks.

FOCAL LENGTH	70mm for a B773, 100-150mm for most narrow-body types

Footbridge – 06/24 Movements

WHERE	Right next to the bus stop “Annino” (see above how to get there) this location is on a road crossing bridge. Enter it, climb the stairs and you will find some sort of open window in the wall pointing to the runway.

WHAT	RWY 06/24 operations in both directions, landing and take off.

TIME	Best light conditions are from sunrise until 1 PM. Due to the high distance heat can be a problem in summer for ground photos.

MISC.	Foreground clutter is possible, pick the right moments to shoot. Car can be parked nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	High focal lenghts are recommended (around 300 mm for A320/737).

: The footbridge above the highway

: The windows

: Sight from out of the windows

Highway - Morning 01 Arrivals, Morning & Afternoon 01 Departures

WHERE	This spot is located directly next to the M3 highway, by the fence on the opposite side of the road. From the footbridge it is a short way west to where the concrete steps come up from the motorway. Some crazy Russians park their cars in the lay-by or even on the motorway and climb up these steps to watch the aircraft, so you won’t be alone for long. The police will eventually come and move the traffic on but you should be OK to stand here without bothering the authorities. The only time when this doesn’t seem to apply is when a VIP flight is due in or out. In this case you’ll be moved on, even from the south side of the highway.

WHAT	All traffic landing on Runway 01 although the angle isn’t as good as Spot #1. Best for traffic departing on Runway 01 although bizjets tend to depart from an intersection and so don’t come close enough for photos. Traffic on Runway 06/24 is visible from here but too far away for decent photos.

TIME	For arrivals, best light conditions are from sunrise until 1pm. For departures the light remains good until about 4pm.

MISC.	There is the gas station west of Spot no. 1 or a small shop just behind Spot #1. This spot requires photos to be taken through a fence with rectangular gaps. There are a couple of spots where someone has ‘adjusted’ the fence to fit a camera lens through. Use those spots if you can, otherwise take photos through the fence allowing plenty of space to crop your photos later. Don’t bend the fence any more than it is already!

FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm will cover most things although the smaller departing traffic can be affected by heat haze on hot days.

Highway - Evening 01 Arrivals

WHERE	The spot is located right next to the airport fence and the safest way to get here is to continue from the previous spot. Just stay close to the airport fence and walk through the approach path. This is also the place where the Red Wings Tu-204 overshot the runway and crashed into the highway.

WHAT	This is the place to be for 01 arrivals in the evening and if you position yourself correctly you won’t get any problems with the lamp posts of the highway here. The aircraft are a little higher here compared to spot 1, but the angle is still good.

TIME	Light is good here from around 4:30 PM until sunset.

MISC.	You can still go to the gas station next to spot 1 from here, but it is a bit further from here.

FOCAL LENGTH	70mm for a B773, 100-150mm for most narrow-body types.

Dirthill - 06 Arrivals + Line-Ups

WHERE	This spot is located on a dirthill next to a little road which leads you along the fence. If you are coming from the terminal, take line 526 and take the stop “A3C”/”AZS”. Or you can use “Садовые участки”/”Sadovye uchastki”, this stop is a few meters to the north and served by many more lines. Anyway, you’ll have to cross/underpass the highway first then pass the roundabout and follow the mentioned asphaltroad for about 500 meters, then you’ll see a dirthill on your right, where the example shots were taken from. If you’re coming by car you can park it just by the roadside near the hill, therefore just exit the mentioned roundabout at the southern exit and follow the road for about 500 meters, too.

WHAT	Arrivals and heavy aircraft while lining up on RWY 06.

TIME	Line-ups should be okay from midday (depending on the angle) and arrivals from mid-afternoon.

MISC.	There is a shop at the petrol station where you can purchase snacks and drinks. The petrol station is located next to the bus stop “AZS”. Heat haze might be a problem in summers for the Line-Ups. Shadow can be found in the nearby forest.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-200mm Tu204 line-up = 150mm / B744 arrival = 95mm

Dirthill - 06 Morning Arrivals

WHERE	Use the same direction as desrcibed but from the hill walk further down the road till the morning postion which is on a hill as well. You can also reach this spot by car from the northern side. Access from the south is not possible by car.

WHAT	Runway 06 landings.

TIME	Best light conditions from sunrise until 1pm.

MISC.	Only a gas station 1.5km from the spot.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-250mm Il76 = 120mm