Moscow's Vnukovo airport launched a sleek new international terminal on Saturday as part of a $1.3 billion modernisation plan aimed to help it cash in on Russians' new found-love of foreign travel.
Five years of solid economic growth have turned Moscow into a major hub between Asia and Europe, with millions of Russians spending their wealth on trips abroad and foreign executives frequently visiting the capital to do business.
But despite President Vladimir Putin's efforts to turn Russia into a more investor-friendly country, travellers get a grim reminder at most airports that transport facilities languish shabbily in the Soviet era.
Launched in the opening days of World War Two to demonstrate the might of Soviet aviation, Vnukovo itself has long been criticised for dingy interior and dimly lit waiting halls. But its main shareholder, Moscow city government, says the airport will now be able to challenge the authority of the city's two other international airports and thus help improve Moscow's image abroad.
"Unfortunately when you visit Moscow's airports you feel only ashamed when you see such conditions, all these buildings and the atmosphere," Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said at an opening ceremony marked with a 15-minute jet fighter air show.
The three-story terminal, with modern-looking check-in facilities, electronic arrival boards and swish cafes and newspaper stands, spans 25,000 square metres and can handle up to 10 million passengers a year.
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