--- iata: AER name: Sochi International Airport city: Sochi country: Russia lastUpdated: '2026-09-21' officialWebsite: 'https://aer.aero/' sources: - 'https://aer.aero/' - 'https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/' - >- https://www.interfax-russia.ru/tourism/news/passazhiropotok-aeroporta-sochi-v-2025-godu-snizilsya-na-9 - 'https://www.planeta-sochi.ru/en/services/vipt' - >- https://sochi.mk.ru/social/2025/12/26/s-1-yanvarya-2026-goda-v-aeroportu-sochi-vvedut-novye-tarify-na-pochasovuyu-platnuyu-parkovku.html - 'https://sochi-inform.ru/other/2026/07/21/12980.html' - 'https://rasp.yandex.ru/suburban/adler-station--sohi-airport/today' - 'https://pass.rzd.ru/' - 'https://www.sleepinginairports.net/guides/sochi-airport-guide.htm' - 'https://transport.sochi.ru/' - >- https://vc.ru/travel/2813114-biznes-zaly-aeroportov-sochi-krasnodara-i-minvod - 'https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8799813' quickFacts: - >- 12.5 million passengers in 2025 (Aerodinamika / Interfax, 20 January 2026): about 10.7 million domestic and a record 1.8 million international. That is 9% below 13.73 million in 2024 after Krasnodar (KRR) reopened in September 2025. - >- One live passenger hall (2007) in Adler: Sectors A/B domestic, Sector C international. Arrivals floor 1, check-in floor 2. No T2. VIP terminal (December 2013) is a separate building, domestic only. - >- Check-in typically opens three hours out and closes 40 minutes before departure. Local extra rules: no cabin alcohol of any volume; Southern MTU banned even blades shorter than 6 cm from 15 August 2025. - >- Rail station Аэропорт Сочи opened 27 January 2012, covered walk from arrivals. Suburban Lastochka to Adler about 9 minutes from 60 RUB; Sochi centre about 43–45 minutes. Bus 105A is 24 hours from 1 July 2026 (131 RUB to Sochi rail). - >- Unified e-visa covers 64 listed nationalities. UK, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports need a consular visa. Apply only at electronic-visa.kdmid.ru. - >- Business-lounge walk-in is 4,700 RUB on the Planeta-Sochi operator table (domestic Sector B and international Sector C). Priority Pass is documented on the international room; confirm domestic in the card app. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: Desks die at 40 minutes — and cabin alcohol is banned detail: >- Standard 100 ml liquids still apply, plus a Sochi cabin rule: no alcohol of any volume, and even blades shorter than 6 cm have been banned since 15 August 2025. Reprint machines sit in Sectors A, B and C. summary: >- Build two hours. Floor-2 check-in typically closes 40 minutes out and cannot be reopened. category: timing - label: Terminal title: 'One hall — A/B domestic, C international. No T2.' detail: >- You cannot walk airside from Sector B into Sector C on a domestic boarding pass. SEO copy about a 2026–27 second hall is not a live building. Confirm desk banks on FIDS, not on a 2020 photo of desks 21–24 or 35–40. summary: >- Arrivals on floor 1, check-in on floor 2. The VIP building is domestic only. category: terminal - label: Food title: Four 24-hour cafés — courtyard fountain is not drinking water detail: >- No operator drinking-fountain page. Buy a sealed bottle after screening. Aerolive capsules sit Sector B floor 2 behind information — leftover “Terminal 2 / 250 RUB” lines are leftover-wrong. summary: >- Baboushka C1, Buratinos and Grenki Pub B2, Shokoladnitsa A2 plus patio (SIA 27 March 2026). category: food - label: Lounges title: 'Walk-in is 4,700 RUB — PP on international, confirm domestic' detail: >- Domestic Sector B near gates 17–20 is the same 4,700 RUB table. Comfort Lounge (Aviagurme) is the cheaper ~2,650 RUB sit-down. VIP terminal is 28,000 RUB dynamic and domestic only — skip unless someone else is paying. summary: >- International Sector C after passport control is the documented Priority Pass room. category: status lounges: - name: International Business Lounge zone: International hours: 24/7 access: - >- Walk-in / paid day pass (4,700 RUB; under 2 free, ages 2–12 50%). Buy at the lounge or via Planeta-Sochi. - >- Priority Pass (international passengers; typically max 3 hours — confirm in the app) - >- DragonPass, Every Lounge, Persona.aero, Grey Wall, ONPASS, GoldenKey (confirm in the card app) - Business class and airline bonus programmes (confirm with the airline) bestFor: - >- International passengers after passport control who hold Priority Pass or will pay 4,700 RUB summary: >- Sector C, floor 2, after passport control. 24/7. Operator walk-in 4,700 RUB. Showers with a hygiene kit. Documented Priority Pass room. Aggregator “about 4,300 RUB” is leftover-stale versus the operator table. verdict: worth-it terminal: Main terminal amenities: - Hot and cold buffet - Showers - Wi-Fi - Children's area - Press - name: Domestic Business Lounge zone: Domestic hours: 24/7 access: - 'Walk-in / paid day pass (4,700 RUB; under 2 free, ages 2–12 50%)' - >- Priority Pass — confirm in the live card app (a 2026 local round-up treats PP as international-only here) - >- DragonPass, Every Lounge, Persona.aero, Grey Wall, ONPASS, GoldenKey (confirm in the card app) - Business class and airline bonus programmes (confirm with the airline) bestFor: - >- Domestic passengers after security near gates 17–20 who will pay for a quiet wait summary: >- Sector B after security, near gates 17–20. 24/7. Same 4,700 RUB operator walk-in as the international room. Showers. Do not assume Priority Pass without checking the app. verdict: depends terminal: Main terminal amenities: - Hot and cold buffet - Showers - Wi-Fi - Press - name: Comfort Lounge zone: Domestic hours: 24/7 access: - >- Walk-in / paid day pass (aggregators about 2,650 RUB — confirm at the desk) - Prepaid lounge-pass sites (Aviagurme / comfort-lounge listings) - >- Partner cards — confirm in the app; not the documented Priority Pass room bestFor: - >- Domestic passengers who want a sit-down meal without the 4,700 RUB business-lounge price summary: >- Sector B, floor 2 airside. Cheapest paid room with food (about 2,650 RUB on aggregators). Showers. 24/7 on lounge directories. Confirm the live till — it is not the Planeta 4,700 RUB business hall. verdict: depends terminal: Main terminal amenities: - Meals - Showers - Wi-Fi - name: VIP Terminal zone: Landside hours: 24/7 access: - >- Paid VIP handling 28,000 RUB on the operator table, dynamic — confirm by phone +7 862 260-81-60 - >- Domestic flights only — international passengers cannot use this building - >- Under 2 free; ages 2–12 50%. Meeting-room 5,500 RUB/hour. Greeters 2,600 RUB. bestFor: - Domestic passengers whose company is paying for a separate building summary: >- Separate building to the left of the main hall (December 2013, about 4,000 m²). Domestic only. 28,000 RUB dynamic. Own check-in, screening, showers and apron transfer. Skip for a normal ticket. verdict: skip terminal: VIP terminal amenities: - Private check-in - Showers - Massage chairs - Wi-Fi - Apron transfer waterOptions: - kind: purchase name: Airside shops after security zone: airside price: Confirm at till summary: >- No published bottle tariff and no operator fountain page. Keep liquids under 100 ml through screening, then buy a sealed bottle. location: >- After the floor-2 inspection, then in Sectors A/B cafés or Sector C Duty Free terminal: Main terminal isBestValue: true - kind: free name: Italian courtyard fountain — decorative only zone: landside summary: >- Ornamental fountain with a rail. Not a drinking fountain. Do not refill here. The 24-hour Shokoladnitsa patio looks onto the same courtyard. location: >- Landside Italian courtyard in the middle of the 2007 hall (photographed October 2024) terminal: Main terminal - kind: free name: Business-lounge water zone: airside price: Included with lounge entry summary: >- Still water with a paid or status visit — the most reliable quality on campus if you already have access. location: >- Inside the Sector C international lounge or the Sector B domestic business / Comfort rooms terminal: Main terminal isBestQuality: true airportistScore: 6.9 slug: aer region: Europe --- > Markdown for [/airports/aer](/airports/aer). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/aer) - [Lounge directory](/airports/aer/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Sochi International Airport (AER) Sochi, Russia · Europe Adler’s one-hall Black Sea gateway: a covered walk to the airport rail stop, 4,700 RUB walk-in lounges, and Priority Pass on the international side. 12.5 million passengers in 2025. ## Airportist Score **6.9 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.0 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 6.8 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 6.4 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 8.0 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 6.0 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 7.4 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 12.5 million (2025) - Terminals: 1 passenger hall (sectors A/B domestic, C international) + VIP terminal - Typical security: 25 min - On-time: 0% - Disruption: moderate ## Best for - Domestic beach / Caucasus connections from Moscow and St. Petersburg - Lastochka to Adler in about nine minutes - Priority Pass on a Sector C international wait ## Watch out for - EU / UK / US scheduled passenger flights still suspended - Sea-only approaches; mountains north and northeast - No cabin alcohol; even short blades banned from 15 August 2025 - Unified e-visa is not available to UK, US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passports ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/aer/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/aer/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/aer/amenities.md) (free) - [Traveler tips](/airports/aer/tips.md) (free) - [Water](/airports/aer/water.md) (free) - [Full guide](/airports/aer/guide.md) (free) - [Disruptions](/airports/aer/disruptions.md) (free) - [Reviews](/airports/aer/reviews.md) (free)