The decree for the construction of the Central Airdrome of the Air Force near the settlement of Chashnikovo on the outskirts of Moscow was issued on 1 September 1953 by the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.

In August 1959, the Council of Ministers made a decree to terminate the airbase's use for military purposes, where it would be handed over to the Principal Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet to be converted into a civilian airport.

[9] Sheremetyevo was officially opened on the day after, where a two-story terminal occupying 1,820 square metres (19,600 sq ft) was commissioned.

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 countries.

[10] 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.

On 11 November 1991, Sheremetyevo International Airport received its legal status as a state-owned enterprise, amidst the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

On 5 March 2008, the airport renovated its second runway to receive all types of aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

An Aeroexpress line was constructed between Sheremetyevo and Savyolovsky Railway Station on 10 June 2008, quickening traveling time from the airport to central Moscow in 30 minutes.

In January 2009, Sheremetyevo finalised a master plan where it would increase passenger capacity to an annual 64 million per year and build a second airfield with a third runway.

On 15 November 2009, construction of Terminal D was completed, with a total surface area of 172,000 square metres (1,850,000 sq ft), an annual capacity of 12 million passengers, and operation being putting forth in the beginning of next year.

Ultimately, after the northern the recent construction work, the airport now has the capacity to receive more than 40 million passengers annually.

[20] The situational centre was also created as part of the ACC for joint work of top-managers, heads of state bodies, and partners of Sheremetyevo to resolve emergencies.

Aeroflot subsidiary Rossiya Airlines announced the transfer of its flights from Vnukovo to Sheremetyevo starting 28 October 2018.

[5] Syria-based Cham Wings Airlines began direct flights from Damascus to SVO in November 2018 as well.

[34] In 2019, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) began testing an automated passport control system at SVO.

This system relies on biometric data and foreign passport recognition to allow Russian passengers to move through border control with fewer movement restrictions.

The scam cost the Russian government approximately 1 billion rubles ($40 million) in missing tax income.

[17] The terminal occupies an area of 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft) and can carry an annual capacity of 75,000 passengers.

As of November 2018, Aeroflot has consolidated all of its domestic services at Terminal B, with the exception of flights to far eastern destinations in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

[40] On 12 March 2007, Sheremetyevo opened the former Terminal C for the servicing of international charter flights to maximize location convenience for all areas in the airport.

The acquisition of its own terminal was a condition of Aeroflot's entry into the SkyTeam airline alliance, thus necessitating the construction.

On 28 October 2018, Terminal D started handling all of Rossiya Airlines' Moscow-originating domestic flights and its international service to Indonesia.

The terminals of this complex are connected by a number of pedestrian walkways with travelators, thus allowing for passengers to move freely between its constituent facilities.

The V-Express Transit Hotel between security/passport check-ins provided short-term accommodations for passengers changing planes without having to present a visa for entering Russia.

The design is a larger version of the one of Hannover–Langenhagen Airport by the same architects[49] and constructed by Rüterbau, a company located in Hanover.

All materials, except the bricks which came from Poland, and every piece of equipment, was transported from Germany to Moscow by lorry.

[41] Aeroexpress, a subsidiary of Russian Railways[134] operates a nonstop line, connecting the airport to Belorussky station in downtown Moscow.

[2] In 2018, Sheremetyevo entered the list of the world's best airports – ACI Director General's Roll of Excellence.

[151] In February 2019, SVO won an award for strengthening Russia's national security with its perimeter protection system.

[citation needed] At the end of 2020, Sheremetyevo topped the rating in the category of the largest airports in Europe for the third time.