VIP terminals of the CIS: Kazakhstan, Belarus, the Caucasus and Central Asia

The catalogue holds 13 objects in the region: business aviation terminals, FBOs and VIP lounges in 13 cities. Below are the ones that set the level of service in the region, and a short map of the rest.

ASG Business Aviation Terminal (FBO-VIP)

Baku, Azerbaijan · Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) · standalone complex

Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

A dedicated business aviation terminal with a separate entrance and guarded parking: waiting lounges, rooms for VVIP guests, a meeting room and a business centre, with customs and passport control directly in the building. A guarded apron of 30 stands, separated from the main air terminal, accepts aircraft from light jets up to the Boeing BBJ and Airbus A319; some of the stands lie under a glass canopy at the terminal exit. The company also provides hangar services for aircraft and is the exclusive business aviation ground handling operator at the airports of Azerbaijan.

General Aviation Terminal (Primeclass VIP Lounge)

Almaty, Kazakhstan · Almaty International Airport (ALA) · standalone building

Photo: Public domain

The general aviation terminal is a separate building on the airport site, serving business jet passengers and VIP guests of scheduled flights. Inside are Primeclass lounges for domestic and international departures and arrivals; screening, passport and customs control take place in the terminal itself without queues. The standard stay in the lounge is up to 3 hours, with the option to extend. The airport has been managed since 2021 by Turkey's TAV Airports group, which is developing the VIP infrastructure.

Nursultan Nazarbayev Airport business aviation terminal

Astana, Kazakhstan · Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ) · standalone building

Photo: Jjm2311, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The business aviation terminal was built in 2016 and works separately from passenger terminals T1 (international) and T2 (domestic). Inside are a spacious waiting lounge, four meeting rooms, a conference room, a business centre and a prayer room; border and customs formalities are carried out on site. All VIP, business and private flights into the Kazakh capital pass through the terminal. The FBO operator Kazakhstan Air Services provides fuel, hangar storage, catering and coordination of aircraft handling.

Ashgabat Airport VIP terminal

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan · Ashgabat International Airport (ASB) · standalone building

Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Ashgabat airport complex, opened in September 2016, includes a separate VIP terminal for official delegations and distinguished guests. The main passenger terminal is built in the shape of a soaring falcon and is sized for 14 million passengers a year; VIP handling is moved out into its own building and runs separately from the common flow. The complex is managed by the state agency Turkmenhowayollary.

Aktau Airport CIP lounge

Aktau, Kazakhstan · Aktau International Airport (SCO) · lounge inside the main terminal

Photo: Public domain

The CIP lounge is located on the ground floor in the right wing of the Aktau air terminal. Arriving passengers are met at the aircraft steps by the lounge's dispatcher and driven over by minibus, and passport and customs formalities are completed without queues. The lounge has a rest area with Wi-Fi and television, a bar with drinks and snacks, and priority boarding is provided. The airport serves the business traffic of Caspian Mangystau.

Atyrau Airport CIP lounge

Atyrau, Kazakhstan · Atyrau International Airport (GUW) · lounge inside the main terminal

Photo: Izzetpekince, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The CIP lounge of the Atyrau air terminal allows check-in and all pre-flight and post-flight formalities to be completed in a separate comfortable room. A bar and wireless internet are available, and guests are offered tea, coffee and the day's press. Atyrau is the centre of the oil and gas Caspian region, so CIP handling is in demand among corporate clients and business passengers of the region.

Manas Airport VIP lounge

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan · Manas International Airport (FRU) · lounge inside the main terminal

Photo: Public domain

The VIP lounge occupies the eastern wing of the Manas air terminal: check-in and baggage handling take place away from the common flow and baggage is delivered straight to the lounge. Guests are driven to and from the aircraft by separate transport, and the lounge offers Wi-Fi, the press, communications services and office equipment. While the main lounge is under refurbishment (from May 2024), passengers are received in the Official Delegations Hall in the Manas-2 building.

Dushanbe Airport VIP and CIP lounges

Dushanbe, Tajikistan · Dushanbe International Airport (DYU) · lounge inside the main terminal

Photo: Public domain

Dushanbe airport operates a VIP lounge and CIP lounges in terminals T1 and T2. The VIP lounge is intended for officials on a list approved by the republic's government, but is also open to ordinary passengers at the airport's tariff; check-in, passport and customs control are carried out separately. Passengers are taken to the aircraft by a dedicated bus and the lounges work round the clock. The modern passenger terminal of 11 thousand square metres opened in 2014.

Other objects in the region

The whole series

The thirteen CIS objects are part of a catalogue of 308 business aviation terminals worldwide. Operator networks, formats of accommodation and service standards beyond this region are covered in the summary article VIP terminals of business aviation worldwide.

How to use this

The spread of formats across the region is wide: in Baku and Astana business aviation occupies buildings of its own, while in Aktau, Atyrau, Bishkek and Dushanbe guests are received by lounges inside the common air terminal. That determines where passport and customs control take place and how long they take, so the format at the destination is checked before the flight is booked. Where there is no separate building, the aircraft is met in the common flow and the gain in time shrinks.

Aircraft on the Russian register fly across Russia and friendly countries — Belarus, the CIS states, Turkey, the Middle East, Dubai, the Maldives; we work worldwide and stay away from sanctioned deals. Where business aviation has a building of its own, the passenger arrives thirty minutes before departure and spends ten to fifteen minutes on formalities, while the crew uses its own entrance with customs and passport control.

Alexander Filimonov — business aviation: sourcing, acquisition and entry into service of aircraft.