Support The Moscow Times!

Smoking Ban Spreads to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport

The Khimki City Court has given the transport hub one month to close designated smoking areas inside the building.

Smokers flying through Russia are about to have their nicotine-free period extended after a Moscow court ordered the city's Sheremetyevo Airport to dismantle its smoking rooms in light of a public smoking ban that came into effect last weekend.

An investigation by the Transport Prosecutor's Office found that terminals D and E of Sheremetyevo Airport were in violation of a law that bans smoking in public areas — including hotels, restaurants and trains — the General Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday in an online statement.

The Khimki City Court has given the transport hub one month to close designated smoking areas inside the building, adding the ruling had not yet gone into force, the statement said.

Sheremetyevo is the busiest international airport in Russia, with more than 29 million passengers passing through the hub in 2013.

The recent ruling brings Russia's main airport in line with terminals in other countries with public smoking bans, such as London's Heathrow, where smoking inside the building is also banned.

See also:

Despite Restaurant-Industry Opposition, Moscow Goes Smoke-Free

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more