Domodedovo Airport for Sale: A Tempting Morsel or a Shattered Trough?
Moscow«s Domodedovo Airport is for sale after being confiscated as state revenue. The starting price is 132 billion rubles (approximately $1.5 billion at current rates), while the airport»s debt stands at nearly 70 billion rubles. The lot has even been posted online on a classifieds website, and the auction for the sale of the state-seized Domodedovo Airport is scheduled for 15:00 MSK on January 20.
Co-owner of Vnukovo airport, Vitaly Vantsev, has publicly stated he is ready to become an investor in Domodedovo. A correspondent for MSK1.RU examined who else could buy the hub, why it«s needed, and what it means for passengers, together with experts and the airport»s former owner.
What is happening with the airport
Businessman Anton Bakov, a former State Duma deputy who owned the airport in the 1990s, suggested that the nationalization and subsequent sale of Domodedovo is an opportunity for the state to «get money out of thin air.»
«It»s clear that in this case the price for such an asset will be appropriate. A starting price of $1.5 billion—that«s, let»s say, not a high price. Since 2011 [when the airport was valued at $5 billion], Moscow has not become poorer, so perhaps someone will buy it cheaply,« Bakov told MSK1.RU.
Civil aviation expert and editor-in-chief of Avia.ru, Roman Gusarov, noted that the airport«s previous owners were moving money abroad, which is why the property was seized and assets frozen.
«All our airports have been transferred to private hands. The state retains the runway, navigation equipment—everything on the airfield itself, but not the passenger infrastructure. For an airport, a private investor is always more efficient than a state one,» the expert says. «They will organize operations better, earn more, and pay more taxes.»
According to him, the airport business is generally profitable, and Domodedovo is a «tempting morsel.»
Who will buy Domodedovo
Anton Bakov found it difficult to speculate on who might want to acquire Domodedovo. He fully admits it could be a state-owned structure.
«I would understand if an oligarch woke up and said, »I want to be the mistress of the sea« (a Russian idiom for an unrealistic dream). But to step into such a shattered trough, when you»ve already established yourself in something, well, it«s a major life change and brings new risks, which everyone already has plenty of,» the entrepreneur reasoned.
Aviation expert Roman Gusarov thinks differently. He said Domodedovo could be bought by «Novaport Holding,» «Airports of Regions,» or the «Aerodinamika» holding.
«Novaport Holding» is Russia«s largest network of regional airports. It manages 28 airports located across the country: from Kaliningrad to Magadan.
«Airports of Regions» is a holding company controlling 10 airports. They are located in Yekaterinburg, Samara, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and other cities.
«Aerodinamika» is also a major holding managing three airports in the Krasnodar region.
«Sheremetyevo is unlikely, but the owners of Vnukovo have quite serious capabilities. If the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service says there are no problems, Vnukovo will be allowed to participate in the tender,» he added.
The executive director of the AviaPort agency, Oleg Panteleev, also doubts the interest of Sheremetyevo«s owners in purchasing Domodedovo.
«Sheremetyevo»s passenger traffic is greater than that of both competitors (Vnukovo and Domodedovo—Ed.) combined. If they buy Domodedovo, how will they fill the new asset? And this is despite the fact that Sheremetyevo operates at a load far from 100%. It«s more reasonable to attract airlines to yourself than to fragment the business,» he said.
The interviewee considered Domodedovo«s starting price substantial and reminded of the 70-billion-ruble debt burden. He also suggested most potential bidders would be unable to complete the deal independently.
«The formation of a consortium is possible, which would include a qualified airport operator, a financial institution, and a fuel operator. One cannot rule out a turn of events where there are no bids at the proposed price, in which case we would have to wait for a new tender with a reduced starting price,» the source stated.
What will change for passengers
In Anton Bakov«s opinion, nothing will change for passengers, regardless of who becomes the airport»s new owner. According to the entrepreneur, tickets will become more expensive regardless, because everything around is rising in price.
At the same time, he acknowledges the risk of a «shake-up» at the airport, with new staff having to adapt.
Aviation expert Roman Gusarov agrees that for passengers, everything will remain the same. Oleg Panteleev shares this view.
«For ordinary passengers, of course, it doesn»t matter who exactly buys it. The main thing is that the new owner manages to build relationships with airlines, not lose those the airport already works with, and preferably—attract new partners,« he concluded.
Russian aviation as a whole is experiencing turbulent times: sanctions, closed airspace, the search for new logistics chains, and a focus on import substitution—all of this leaves its mark on air transportation. 2026 is unlikely to be an easy year for the passenger transport market. We previously spoke with experts to find out what awaits Russian aviation in the new year and what will happen with ticket prices.
