It is a sad fact, given the amount of time and effort that goes into producing them, that magazine covers inevitably end up spending their years after publication tucked away in industry archives.

But thanks to a unique partnership with Moscow’s go-ahead airport – Domodedovo International – 30 of Flight International’s covers are getting a new lease of life.

Fint Cover 08 May 1909 W167For the next two months the airport is hosting an exhibition of the covers in the departures area of its ultra-modern international terminal.

Waiting passengers will be able to browse through a collection of specially mounted covers stretching all the way back to an issue from 1909 featuring a photograph of the Wright brothers (pictured left).

More than 30 guests attended a champagne and music ceremony at the airport on 28 March where Flight Group Editor Kieran Daly and airport Deputy Director General Alexei Raevsky opened the exhibition (pictured below).

handover Domededovo W250
It was the culmination of an idea of which the seed was sown some two years ago when Anna Krasnova, today public relations director of airport owner East Line Group, visited Flight’s London headquarters as part of a group of East Line staff.

During the visit Daly showed her the archive containing Flight International’s collection of historic photographs, and its copies of the magazine going back 97 years.

Daly says: “In Moscow Anna told me that she had been thinking ever since about how that material could be displayed and finally the time was right to mount an exhibition. We were absolutely delighted to help – Domodedovo is the world-class airport that Moscow has needed for so long and it’s a fabulous setting for the display.”

Krasnova adds: “We decided to set up the exhibition of the covers of this extraordinary magazine in Domodedovo airport with a view to provide any person interested in the aviation world with a chance to get acquainted with the industry’s past and  present, and to imagine the future that is forecast by Flight International.

“We would like to express our gratitude to the editors of Flight Group and to Kieran Daly personally for this opportunity to let our passengers learn about the most important events in the history of the aerospace industry.”

Cover 07 Sept 76 W167Cover 18 Sept 01 W167Cover 21 Oct 03 w167

Some of the classic covers, from 7 August 1976, 18 September 2001 and 21 October 2003 are pictured above.

You can read more about the exhibition from the Domodedovo official website.

Blogs:
Read Kieran Daly's extended view on the covers exhibition, or read business reporter Helen Massy-Beresford's take on Domodedovo's growth plans

Source: Flight International