Foreign air carriers have taken up 40% of the Russian international transportation market, which exceeds historical figures. This was announced by Aeroflot’s First Deputy General Director for Commerce and Finance Andrey Chikhanchin at the Wings of the Future aviation forum, RBC reports .
“The Russian market now occupies a large share of transportation for all Russian airlines. At the same time, transportation in July of this year by Russian airlines on foreign flights amounted to 2.7 million passengers, and foreigners [have transported] already 1.9 million,” Chikhanchin noted.
According to Aeroflot, in the first seven months of 2024, Russian carriers delivered 15.1 million passengers abroad, while foreign carriers delivered 10.3 million. The company’s Director of Investor Relations, Andrey Napolnov, clarified that in 2019, the share of foreign airlines was 25.7%, and in 2022 it reached 42%.
The situation changed after the start of the military operation in Ukraine and the introduction of Western sanctions. The US , EU and a number of other countries closed their airspace to Russian aircraft, which led to the loss of many foreign destinations.
Carriers from the CIS countries, especially from Uzbekistan , Belarus and Armenia , have significantly increased their presence on the Russian market . Passenger traffic between Russia and China has also increased , despite a temporary decline after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall.
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