Vnukovo International Airport

VKO originated during WWII for military purposes, with its construction approved in 1937 and completed in 1941 (inmates of Likovlag constructed it, a Gulag concentration camp explicitly created to build an airport). After the war, it was converted for civilian use. On September 15th, 1956, the Tupolev Tu-104 jetliner debuted, making its first passenger flight to Irkutsk. Furthermore, the first passenger flights of the IL-18 (to Alma-Ata on April 20th, 1956) and the Tu-114 (to Khabarovsk on April 24th, 1961) were made from VKO. The airport was expanded in 1980 for the benefit of the Summer Olympic Games that year. A significant reconstruction and strategic development program were undertaken at VKO in late 2003
(following the transfer of the controlling stake in the airport by the federal government to the government of Moscow). As such, a new Terminal B was opened in 2004. At 861,000 square feet, it can handle up to four million passengers annually. The following year the Aeroexpress rail link to Kiyevsky Rail Terminal was opened. In 2010 the new 2.7 million square foot Terminal A was opened, and in 2016 all flights were transferred from Terminal B to Terminal A, and Terminal B was closed.

The airport is located 17 miles southwest of downtown Moscow.

• VKO is Europe's busiest airport for international flights by larger private aircraft. 
• There is a Tupolev airliner rework facility at the edge of the airport, carrying out major overhaul and modification programs in various aircraft. 
• There are various business classes and VIP lounges at VKO. Moreover, there is a VIP Terminal used by political leaders and other people of importance, including the Russian President. 
• There are two FBOs at VKO, Vnukovo-3 and VipPort. 
• The airport was initially named for Andrei Tupolev, a Russian and later Soviet aeronautical engineer known for pioneering aircraft designs as Director of the Tupolev Design Bureau.