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MCXURML

Uytash Airport

Makhachkala, RU

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MCXURMLModerate

Makhachkala International Airport Uytash

Makhachkala, Russia · Europe

MCX is Dagestan's Caspian hub: about 2.8 million passengers in 2025, a 2021 international Terminal B with jet bridges, and a compact domestic Terminal A. Paper boarding passes are required, lounges are pay-VIP only, and Moscow flights absorb every airspace scare — but the airport itself is open for domestic and international traffic.

Airportist Score

5.7/ 10

Mixed

Ease of use6.2
Comfort & amenities5.5
Food & retail5.0
Ground access6.5
Reliability5.8
Lounges4.5

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

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Security

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MCXURMLModerate

Makhachkala International Airport Uytash

Makhachkala, Russia · Europe

MCX is Dagestan's Caspian hub: about 2.8 million passengers in 2025, a 2021 international Terminal B with jet bridges, and a compact domestic Terminal A. Paper boarding passes are required, lounges are pay-VIP only, and Moscow flights absorb every airspace scare — but the airport itself is open for domestic and international traffic.

Airportist Score

5.7/ 10

Mixed

Ease of use6.2
Comfort & amenities5.5
Food & retail5.0
Ground access6.5
Reliability5.8
Lounges4.5

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

Compare MCX with another airport

Typical security
15 min
editorial average, not live
Fastest to city
25-40 min
Taxi / ride-hailing
Cheapest to city
Bus 187 (airport – Etazhi)
$ · 30-45 min
Lounge
1
On time
72%
of departures
Terminals
2
terminals: A domestic, B international (opened 2021)

5 photos

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MCXGuide

MCXGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

A compact traveler cheat sheet for timing, terminals, food, and disruption checks.

Timing

Print your boarding pass

Arrive with a paper boarding pass; allow about 2 h domestic and 2.5–3 h international.

MCX cannot process electronic boarding passes right now; print one before you travel or use the self-service print desks at the airport (official passenger notice). Allow extra time for domestic Terminal A queues and for passport control in Terminal B.

Terminal

A domestic, B international

Terminal A = domestic; Terminal B = international.

Terminal A handles all domestic flights; Terminal B is the 2021 international terminal with jet bridges and passport control. Confirm your airline's terminal on the board (mcx.aero/board) before you go to the wrong building.

Food

Food courts, no Priority Pass

Eat in the terminal food courts, or budget 6,000 RUB for the VIP-2 departure lounge.

Both terminals show food-court areas on the official scheme. There is no Priority Pass, LoungeKey or Dragon Pass access in Russia (suspended since March 2022). The paid VIP-2 hall is the main paid lounge: 6,000 RUB departure / 3,000 RUB arrival (airport offer from 24 Sep 2025).

Status

Open, with Moscow knock-ons

Allow slack on Moscow connections and check the live board.

MCX itself operates as a civil international airport, but flights to/from Moscow are exposed to drone-related airspace restrictions that delay or cancel many Russian domestic connections. Check the live board on mcx.aero before leaving.

Live conditions

Right now at MCX

Security waits and operational status from official feeds, where the airport publishes them.

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Gateway to Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Derbent and the Dagestan mountains
International low-cost links to Dubai, Istanbul and Abu Dhabi on Pobeda and flydubai
Clear A/B terminal split once you know which flight you are on

Watch out for

Electronic boarding passes are not accepted — print one
No Priority Pass; VIP-2 departure costs 6,000 RUB and food is extra
Moscow connections are exposed to airspace restrictions; Germany and the UK advise against all travel to Russia

Airportist Score

Why this score

Overall is the published weighted sum of six categories. No holistic fudge on top.

Ease of use · 25%

Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.

6.2

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

5.5

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

5.0

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

6.5

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

5.8

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

4.5

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

2.8 million (2025, Dagestan transport minister / Finmarket)

Terminals

2 terminals: A domestic, B international (opened 2021)

On-time departures

72%

Typical security

15 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for MCX.

Updated Oct 15, 2026

Makhachkala International Airport "Uytash" (IATA MCX / ICAO URML), named after twice Hero of the Soviet Union Amet-khan Sultan, is Dagestan's main civil airport on the Caspian coast just south of Kaspiysk and about 16 km from central Makhachkala. Operator: JSC International Airport Makhachkala. Local time Europe/Moscow (UTC+3).
Traffic: about 2.8 million passengers in 2025, down 3.4% from 2.9 million in 2024, according to Dagestan transport minister Arslanbek Alibekov (Finmarket, 20 March 2026). Red Wings and Nordwind are based here.
Two passenger buildings: Terminal A for domestic flights (ВВЛ) and Terminal B for international flights. Official design capacity is 360 passengers/hour domestic and 190/hour international; the airfield is rated at 8 movements/hour. A new domestic terminal is planned.
Terminal B opened on 17 August 2021 (over 11,000 m²): 10 passport-control booths, two jet bridges, lifts for passengers with reduced mobility, left-luggage, ATMs, a prayer room and a mother-and-child room (airport about page).
Network: domestic links across Russia plus international flights to Dubai, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Central Asia, the Caucasus and seasonal leisure routes. Carriers on the airport's airline page include Aeroflot partners, Pobeda, Red Wings, Nordwind, flydubai, S7, SCAT, Smartavia and others.
Foreign visitors need a Russian visa; the unified e-visa is valid for entry at Makhachkala (Uytash) for nationalities on the MFA list (Germany and most EU states yes; UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand no). Germany (Auswärtiges Amt) and the UK (FCDO) both advise against all travel to Russia.

28 official sources

https://mcx.aero/
https://mcx.aero/en/
https://mcx.aero/normativy-propusknoy-sposobnosti/
https://mcx.aero/scheme/
https://mcx.aero/scheme/?term=A
https://mcx.aero/scheme/?term=B
https://mcx.aero/infoforpass/
https://mcx.aero/services/vip/
https://mcx.aero/upload/doc/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BF.%20%D0%97%D0%9E%D0%9B%D0%94%20%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB.%20%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80.pdf
https://mcx.aero/services/parking/
https://mcx.aero/upload/doc/%D0%9F%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9%20%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%20%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F.pdf
https://mcx.aero/upload/doc/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0%20%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F%20%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9%20%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9.pdf
https://mcx.aero/services/taxi/
https://mcx.aero/airlines/
https://mcx.aero/about/
https://mcx.aero/malomob/
https://mcx.aero/board/
https://www.finmarket.ru/news/6583334
https://mintransdag.ru/news/priamoi-marsrut-kak-dobratsia-iz-maxackaly-do-aeroporta-na-avtobuse
https://persona.aero/services/6401
https://vip-rooms.ru/vip-zal/mcx-vip/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uytash_Airport
https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/checkpoint_en.html
https://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/country_en.html
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/russia
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/service/laender/russischefoederation-node/russischefoederationsicherheit-201536
https://kgdavia.ru/services/comfort/priority_pass/
https://tonkosti.ru/%D0%90%D1%8D%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8B

Full guide

Explore the MCX guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

Map
Uytash Airport and the Makhachkala city center
City center
View Map
Getting There
3 ways into the city, compared on time, cost, and luggage.
Fastest: Taxi / ride-hailingCheapest: Bus 187 (airport – Etazhi)
View Getting There
Lounges
1 lounge with access rules, hours, and verdicts.
VIP-2 hall
View Lounges
Traveler Tips
Go to the right building: domestic flights use Terminal A, international Terminal B. The official scheme marks registration, security, border control and food courts separately for each.
9 tips & hacks
View Traveler Tips
Amenities
4 rated amenities — food, Wi-Fi, quiet spots, family, and sleep.
Terminal B (international)VIP-2 hall
View Amenities
Reviews
Editorial and traveler reviews — what people actually complain about.
View Reviews

☁️23°C / 73°F

Security wait times

Current security wait information is not available for this airport. Check the airport's official website or app before travel.

Official airport site

Operational status

Normal operations

No Flighty-reported operational issues for this airport.

Source: Flighty Airports

Status response Oct 16, 17:36 UTC · Confirm live conditions with official sources before travel.