Perhaps, some know that the Moscow city’s needs in the commercial air transport are mostly being served by the three large airports: Sheremetyevo (UUEE), Vnukovo (UUWW), and Domodedovo (UUDD). There’s also a smaller one called Bykovo (UUBB), that is also a part of the air transportation system and the whole airspace organization in the vicinity of this metropolitan area.
In Russian aeronautical publications airspace area in the vicinity of Moscow has a special designation: “Московская Воздушная Зона” (“Moscow Air Zone”, literally), “МВЗ” (”MVZ“, an acronym for it). Or, sometimes they refer to it as to “Московский Аэроузел”, which stands for “Moscow Air Knot“, - again, literally. The ‘Air Knot‘ here serves as a synonym for description of a complicated air route structure existing around a few terminal areas of large airports and ‘corridors’ to access them. (Gee, - sounds like a great idea - to begin a sort of GLOSSARY with terms of Russian aviation! 
) There’s a book of rules that specifically apply to flying in the area, and it would be interesting to explore into the history, to find out how this chunk of airspace acquired some sort of special, outstanding status. In the Soviet Union time all crews had to be specifically endorsed to operate in and out of the ‘MVZ’.
Anyway, at the time being, we should spare this interesting theme for the future, and no doubt it should make a great topic for a series of posts.
Getting back to the above picture I should say it was taken at the Domodedovo airport, in the 80s. Not sure about the exact year, though. There’s a tag with a notice glued on to the back of the picture, but no date information. Notice says the picture was taken at the Domodedovo by the ‘TASS’ information agency correspondent, and it refers the picture to a series of materials published in the Soviet media with regard to the ‘achievement’ the ‘Soviet Aeroflot’ (as a ‘whole system of the public air transport in the country’) had just accomplished - reaching a mark of 100 million passenger carried in that year. I guess, this piece of information would serve as a fine clue for figuring out the date
See, how many Tu-154s are on the ramp! For decades the plane has been a true workhorse for the industry. No doubt, for our ‘RA-85123 Fan Club’ members it would be a pleasure to know this fact Here on the picture we can make out registrations for the two 154s on the foreground: CCCP-85064, and CCCP-85198. Note, there’s no jet ways seamlessly connecting parked airplanes to the terminal’s inner space. As a matter of fact, they were almost inexistent in the airports across the country, and only Sheremetyevo, the main international airport that was charged (or, rather’ ‘honored’) with a duty to serve as a ‘primary gate to access the Soviet Union from outside’, had a few.
I flew to Domodedovo like ‘tons of times’ from the very beginning of my career. Many times I used to walk down that long gallery featured on the picture as a portal for those numerous Tu-154s..
Noteworthy to mention, we had a surprising chance to socialize with some ‘Domodedovo people’ here, in Calgary, and not too far ago, - in 2006.
(to be continued..)
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