This story was sent to you by: Bill Hough -------------------- Russian Airport Has Surged in Recent Years -------------------- By Associated Press August 25, 2004, 1:41 PM EDT MOSCOW -- Domodedovo Airport, starting point of the two planes that crashed Tuesday, is one of three main passenger airports serving the Russian capital. It's also the world's fastest growing airport, topping a list of 110 international airports, according to Airports Council International, which tracks passenger traffic. Domodedovo is 20 miles southeast of Moscow and is more distant from the city center than Shermetyevo and Vnukovo airports, but its popularity with travelers has been growing quickly. Several foreign airlines including British Airways and Swiss International moved operations there in recent years from Sheremetyovo, which is widely disliked for its crowded, dismal and outdated facilities. The airport reported serving 6,667,000 passengers in the first seven months of 2004, a 43 percent increase over the same period in the previous year. Of those, 3.4 million -- or more than half -- were on international flights, the airport said. Domodedovo also is the only one of Moscow's three main airports with train service; commuter trains connect the airport with Moscow's Paveletsky railroad station. Passengers at other airports rely on often-overpriced taxis or crowded buses. Sheremetyevo's international terminal was built by a West German firm for the 1980 Moscow Games. Vnukovo was the airport used by top Kremlin officials and important foreign visitors during Soviet times. Other facts: Location: 13.7 miles south of Moscow. Hourly passenger traffic capacity: 1,100 international and 2,100 domestic. Airlines: About 100 airlines from 12 countries within the former Soviet Union and from 11 countries outside the region. Domestic destinations: The Caucasus, the Urals, Central Asia, Siberia, the Far East, central Russia, former Soviet states. International destinations: Europe, Asia, the Americas. Operated by: East Line Group, Russia's first private airport operator. History: Completed in 1964, with a new airport complex opened in 2000. Its two runways are capable of receiving up to 75 planes an hour. Recent new security measures: Biometric systems of passenger control, including fingerprint scanners for passengers and staff, introduced in April 2004. Copyright (c) 2004, The Associated Press -------------------- This article originally appeared at: http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-russia-domodedovo-glance,0,6804812.story Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com