Following its invasion of Ukraine, many countries have been quick to place sanctions on Russia. This has included bans on the country's airlines and aircraft, a move that Russia has reciprocated in some instances. This has caused international traffic to plummet, prompting Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport to furlough a fifth of its staff.

20% of employees on furlough

Sheremetyevo Airport announced yesterday that it has had to place a fifth of its workers on furlough due to the present downturn in international flights to and from Russia. Known in full as Sheremetyevo Alexander S. Pushkin International, the airport is the largest and busiest not just in Moscow but in Russia as a whole.

The furlough measures have been in place since last week. Reuters notes that employees who will be unable to work will receive two-thirds of their normal wages. This scheme started last week, with the facility confirming that "from March 16th, some employees of Sheremetyevo International Airport were furloughed."

The airport has also put its present recruitment efforts on hold due to the downturn. Elsewhere in Russia, Ural Airlines also had to place some of its staff on furlough last week. It is one of the country's largest carriers, with more than 50 aircraft in its fleet. However, its operations at Sheremetyevo are fairly minimal.

Ural Airlines Airbus A321
Russian carriers such as Ural Airlines have also had to begin placing employees on furlough. Photo: Eric Salard via Flickr

Terminal and runway closures

Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) is a colossal site comprising three runways and four international passenger terminals. However, with demand for flights beyond Russian borders having dropped significantly since the country's invasion of Ukraine, not all of this capacity is necessary anymore.

As a result, the airport decided earlier this month to close its Terminal D as of March 15th. It explained that it took this decision "in the face of forced restrictions in the field of international air transportation, and in order to optimize and concentrate production activities in the Northern Terminal Complex." The northern complex consists of Terminals B and C. Terminal D's car parks have also closed.

Reuters also notes that March 15th saw the airport take one of its three runways out of service. According to FlightGlobal, the landing strip in question is 06L/24R. Mentour Pilot notes that this 3,200-meter runway only opened in 2019.

Moscow SVO Terminal C
The airport is consolidating its operations through a smaller number of terminals. Photo: A.Savin via Wikimedia Commons

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International traffic hasn't completely disappeared

It is worth noting that, while international air travel to and from Russia has dropped to a minimal level, it hasn't been totally wiped out. Indeed, as Simple Flying explored last week, a handful of foreign carriers are still serving the country.

A notable example was Air Serbia, which initially increased its frequencies to cater to increased demand. However, it has since returned to a daily Moscow-Belgrade rotation. Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines is also still flying to Russia in both passenger and cargo capacity. Other foreign carriers still flying in and out of the country include Air Arabia, Belavia, El Al, Emirates, and Sri Lankan Airlines

What do you make of Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport's furlough scheme? Have you used the airport during the pandemic? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.