toyotaboy95

Five people (inc. me) are flying HKG-SVO-CDG v.v. in mid-February, after SVO T3 opens officially. However, the problem is mainly with visas. A member of our travelling group holds a passport-type that requires Russian visa, while the rest of us hold visa-free. The dillema is due to the opening of T3, the SVO-CDG flight will be in T3 while HKG-SVO is T2. According to DL and other sources, visa is not required for not exiting the airport but is required for moving from T1 to T2. However, on the other hand, there is a thread somewhere (I think FT) that says Aeroflot will provide a special transit bus for such pax, but the link is broken.

Other issue is standby with AF. Coming back, the AF direct CDG-HKG flight is close to the departure of my CDG-SVO flight. Would it be possible to waitlist on AF, i'm on SU "U" fare. It would save me ~4 hrs. in travelling time. I would be SkyTeam Elite during that time.

apoivre

The new terminal D (aka SVO3) is already open. Aeroflot have been constantly changing their plans as to which flights will move over when exactly so if I were you, I wouldn't start worrying about it until much closer to departure. Once the new terminal starts serving international flights we'll know how they handle the immigration issues. However, I'd expect the situation would be very different to the SVO1<>SVO2 transfer: SVO1 is across the runway from SVO2 while SVO3 is right beside it. If everything else fails, SU should be able to put you on a bus and drive the 300 (or so) m between SVO2 and SVO3.

Another option would be switching to the AF-operated flight to CDG as for the time being AF is staying at T2.

FlyingFinn

SVO T1 is strictly for domestic Russian flights, hence the need for visa to go there.

There is bound to be some sort of airside/international transfer bus between the terminals.

toyotaboy95

Contacted Aeroflot Hong Kong and the Russian Embassy in Hong Kong. Embassy said by phone in broken English "need visa" while by email "no information about Terminal 3 and contact Aeroflot". Aeroflot said contact Embassy.

Anyway, the travelling member has registered for HKSAR passport (visa-free) to avoid trouble during transit.

For future reference, I will update this thread after my trip to see if there is passport control. There is also a bus linking T2-3 (http://aeroflot.ru/ENG/about.aspx?ob_no=549&d_no=37689) but unknown if it is considered to be staying in the "airport transit zone".

apoivre

No, the bus uses a public road and is totally portside. You have to exit the building first.

But anyway rest assured you have no chances to arrive at Terminal 3 whatsoever as the customs/immigration checkpoints will not be open until at least March. Thus, no international flights. No HKG-SVO. Zero.