Sheremetyevo Airport has made the needs of children—and adults who are traveling with children—a high priority in the design and functioning of its terminals. The airport terminals have a total of six baby- and child-care rooms, and open play areas and changing rooms are available in all terminals, including in the business and VIP lounges.
Once international flights resume, travelers arriving and transiting at Terminal C, opened 2020, will have at their disposal a modern baby- and child-care room open 24 hours a day. Located on the third floor in the departure public area, the room is a comfortable space of 350 square meters, designed for 60 children and their accompanying adults. The room has a game area with upholstered furniture, a TV set and toys and a self-service kitchenette for heating food. It is equipped with comfortable children’s furniture and household appliances, sleeping rooms for babies and young children, showers, and a washing machine and dryer.
All baby- and child-care rooms at Sheremetyevo include play areas with toys and game consoles, sleeping areas, kitchenettes and rooms for feeding babies and changing diapers. Children’s playgrounds and play areas are equipped with child-safe equipment that is updated annually. The staffs of the specialized rooms have the qualifications and training necessary to respond to special needs or handle emergencies.
“June 1 is International Children’s Day and it’s a good time to remember that air travel can be extremely stressful for children, whose routines and sense of security are disrupted, and for their parents,” said Sheremetyevo International Airport Chairman Alexander Ponomarenko. “Airports can significantly reduce that stress and anxiety with proper planning, design and staffing. For us, this is an investment in people.”
Use of the areas set aside for children at Sheremetyevo Airport has increased annually, reflecting the growing number of passengers globally who are traveling with children. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of requests for services in baby- and child-care rooms increased from 74.8 thousand to 84.9 thousand. In 2019, 2.96 million children aged 2 to 12 years were served at the airport, an increase of 16.4% over 2018, and 454,000 infants up to age two, an increase of 0.6% over 2018.
