Travel Notes

Aeroflot Hub

Aeroflot will complete construction of its new air terminal this fall, and move in along with its international partners when the airline switches to its winter schedule, said Aeroflot chief Vitaly Savelyev. The terminal, dubbed “Sheremetyevo 3,” but which has “Terminal D” emblazoned on the building, is shaped “in an image of a swan that protects passengers with its wings,” and will house the SkyTeam alliance in Moscow, sharply reducing the amount of time passengers now spend transferring between Sheremetyevo Terminals 1 and 2, which are located several kilometers apart and are patrolled by taxi drivers charging outrageous fares.

Eventually, a new Sheremetyevo runway will also be constructed, in hopes of easing traffic jams on the two existing strips. For the time being, Terminal 2, which was built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics and is hopelessly outdated, will not be closed, but its passenger volume is sure to drop significantly.