Aeroexpress to Paveletskaya · 45 min to Paveletskaya
Where they are
One map, pinned from each airport’s published coordinates.
Category scores
Overall is the published weighted sum. A highlighted score is ahead; a tie stays plain.
Ease of use
25% · Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
ZIA6.0
DME7.0+1.0
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
ZIA4.5
DME7.0+2.5
Food & retail
Best for
ZIA
Direct flights from Moscow to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and KyrgyzstanTravellers living in south-eastern Moscow or Moscow OblastPassengers who want a small terminal with short walks
Watch out for
ZIA
Frequent short-notice restrictions during drone alerts over MoscowNo direct rail link: bus 441 or a train plus shuttle busLong passport-control queues when several international flights arrive together
Amenities and tips
ZIA
Pay-in business loungeCafés in international departuresSky Duty Free and shopsMother-and-child rooms
ZIA · Zhukovsky is a compact single-terminal airport with mostly international flights to Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkey and Israel, but it has no direct rail link, long passport queues at busy times and frequent drone-alert restrictions.
DME · Moscow’s southern hub: one roof, T2 check-in, an Aeroexpress to Paveletskaya, and Russian lounge passes — not Priority Pass.
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
ZIA4.5
DME6.6+2.1
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
ZIA4.0
DME7.6+3.6
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
ZIA4.5
DME6.0+1.5
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
ZIA4.5
DME7.4+2.9
DME
S7 / Ural domestic connectionsAeroexpress to PaveletskayaPaid Horizon lounge on an international wait
DME
EU / UK / US scheduled passenger flights still suspendedDomestic and international are not an airside walkUnified e-visa is not available to UK, US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passports
Free assistance for reduced mobility
Bus 441 to Kotelniki metro
Allow extra time at the entrance and passport control
Screening starts at the terminal door; check-in closes 40 minutes before departure.
One small terminal on two floors
Check-in downstairs; lounge and departure zones upstairs.
Most choice is in international departures
Plov, Shokoladnitsa, a pub and coffee bars airside for international flights.
DME
Free Wi-Fi (DME_free)Aeroexpress to PaveletskayaHorizon / Radius walk-in loungesAtrium chainsP6 long-stay parkingDuty & Shops gallery D
International 2–3 hours, desks close at 40 minutes
Build the operator window, not a 90-minute dash.
Check in on T2 floor 1 — then split
One roof. After bag drop, international stays in T2; domestic walks to T1 gallery D.
Atrium food is landside — McDonald’s, KFC, Cinnabon
Eat before security if you want the obvious chains.
