The airport was originally built as a military airfield called Sheremetyevsky (Шереметьевский), named after a village of the same time, as well as the Savelov station on the railway of the same name.
The decree for the construction of the Central Airdrome of the Air Force near the settlement of Chashnikovo (Чашниково) on the outskirts of Moscow was issued on 1 September 1953 by the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.
The airport became operational on 7 November 1957 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution.


In August 1959, the Council of Ministers made a decree to terminate the airbase's use for military purposes, where it would instead be handled over to the Principal Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet to be converted as a civilian airport.
Sheremetyevo's civilian purposes started on 11 August 1959 when a Tupolev Tu-104B landed onto the airport from Leningrad.

The first international flight took place on 1 June 1960 to Berlin Schönefeld Airport using an Ilyushin Il-18.
Sheremetyevo was officially opened on the day after, where a two-story terminal occupying 1,820 square metres (19,600 sq ft) was commissioned.
On 3 September 1964, the Sheremetyevo-1 terminal was opened.
Of that year, 18 foreign airlines had regular flights to Sheremetyevo, with up to 10 different types of aircraft involved.
By the end of 1964, Sheremetyevo handled 822,000 passengers and 23,000 tons of mail and cargo, including 245,000 passengers and 12,000 tons of cargo that were transported internationally.
Soon, by the end of 1965, a majority of international flights to the USSR was achieved through Sheremetyevo thanks to Aeroflot's air traffic agreements with 47 different countries.


In the early 1970s, a second runway was constructed at Sheremetyevo, with its first airliner to land on it being an Ilyushin Il-62.
In preparation for the 1980 Summer Olympics, construction of a second terminal for Sheremetyevo, Sheremetyevo-2, was approved by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in early 1976.
Construction of Sheremetyevo-2 started on 17 November 1977.

On 1 January 1980, Sheremetyevo-2 was put into operation, with a capacity to serve an annual 6 million passengers, or 2,100 passengers per hour.
Despite this, its official opening ceremony started much later, at 6 May. During the Olympics, Sheremetyevo served more than 460,000 international passengers.
The airport was originally built as a military airfield called Sheremetyevsky (Шереметьевский), named after a village of the same time, as well as the Savelov station on the railway of the same name. The decree for the construction of the Central Airdrome of the Air Force near the settlement of Chashnikovo (Чашниково) on the outskirts of Moscow was issued on 1 September 1953 by the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union. The airport became operational on 7 November 1957 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution.

In August 1959, the Council of Ministers made a decree to terminate the airbase's use for military purposes, where it would instead be handled over to the Principal Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet to be converted as a civilian airport. Sheremetyevo's civilian purposes started on 11 August 1959 when a Tupolev Tu-104B landed onto the airport from Leningrad.
The first international flight took place on 1 June 1960 to Berlin Schönefeld Airport using an Ilyushin Il-18. Sheremetyevo was officially opened on the day after, where a two-story terminal occupying 1,820 square metres (19,600 sq ft) was commissioned. On 3 September 1964, the Sheremetyevo-1 terminal was opened. Of that year, 18 foreign airlines had regular flights to Sheremetyevo, with up to 10 different types of aircraft involved. By the end of 1964, Sheremetyevo handled 822,000 passengers and 23,000 tons of mail and cargo, including 245,000 passengers and 12,000 tons of cargo that were transported internationally. Soon, by the end of 1965, a majority of international flights to the USSR was achieved through Sheremetyevo thanks to Aeroflot's air traffic agreements with 47 different countries.

In the early 1970s, a second runway was constructed at Sheremetyevo, with its first airliner to land on it being an Ilyushin Il-62. In preparation for the 1980 Summer Olympics, construction of a second terminal for Sheremetyevo, Sheremetyevo-2, was approved by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in early 1976. Construction of Sheremetyevo-2 started on 17 November 1977.
On 1 January 1980, Sheremetyevo-2 was put into operation, with a capacity to serve an annual 6 million passengers, or 2,100 passengers per hour. Despite this, its official opening ceremony started much later, at 6 May. During the Olympics, Sheremetyevo served more than 460,000 international passengers.
Sheremetyevo International Airport