Flight season: in June, passenger air traffic in Russia showed a threefold growth

In June 2020, the number of passengers on the flights of Russian airlines almost tripled. This is evidenced by the data of the Federal Air Transport Agency published on Tuesday, July 28. So, in the first month of summer, airlines carried 2.84 million people, compared with 949 thousand in May.

Analysts interviewed by RT explain the confident restoration of civil aviation by the lifting of quarantine restrictions in the country. Recall that from June 9 in Moscow, the self-isolation regime introduced at the end of March was canceled. Most regions followed the example of the capital, which caused a rush of demand for air tickets, said Anton Pokatovich, economist at BCS Premier, in a conversation with RT.

“During the quarantine period, Russians were restricted in movement and could not visit other cities without a valid reason. As a result, as soon as the self-isolation regime was lifted, citizens rushed to massively realize the deferred demand for travel, ”the expert emphasized.

According to analysts, the easing of restrictive measures coincided with the start of the vacation season. This situation has provoked record sales of tickets to sea resorts in Russia. As RT was told in the press service of the Internet service for travelers Biletix, since the beginning of summer, the volume of ticket purchases on domestic routes has exceeded last year's figure by 6%. The most popular destinations for Russians are Simferopol, Sochi, Krasnodar and Anapa.

“This is more than an optimistic result, as in our forecasts we expected that the indicator would be able to recover only half by the end of the year. One of the factors behind the growth in demand is the relatively low price of air travel. For flights within Russia, buyers pay on average 15% less than last year, ”Biletix noted.

Moreover, the passenger traffic of Russian airlines may further increase after the opening of the borders, experts say. Recall that since March 27, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Russia has suspended regular and charter flights with other countries. The exceptions were flights organized to return Russians from abroad, and individual flights on behalf of the government. Meanwhile, on July 24, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the start of flight programs to the UK, Turkey and Tanzania from August 1.

News of the resumption of international flights has provoked a sharp demand for air tickets. As RT was told in the press service of the tourist service Tutu.ru, the number of bookings to Turkey has grown fivefold, and to the UK - twice.

“The Russians were not stopped even by a noticeable increase in the price of a ticket: the cost of a flight from Moscow to Antalya is now 42% higher than a year ago. A ticket on the Moscow-Istanbul route will cost about 30% more than in the summer of 2019. The Russians missed the opportunity to fly to the sea. This contributes to the growth of passenger traffic of Russian airlines, which suffered losses in the spring, ”the organization noted.

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According to Tutu.ru, in April, air ticket sales in Russia fell by 80-90%. To support the industry, the government allocated subsidies to airlines totaling 23.4 billion rubles. The funds received helped the business to survive the times of forced downtime, said Pavel Sigal, vice-president of the all-Russian public organization of small and medium-sized businesses "Support of Russia".

“The money went to parking and maintenance of the aircraft, as well as to pay salaries to employees. This avoided a wave of bankruptcies of air carriers and kept them afloat. Also, some support for the industry was provided by low prices for jet fuel, which dropped against the background of low oil prices. This state of affairs helped to reduce costs and had a positive effect on the availability of tickets for the population, ”the expert explained in a conversation with RT.

According to interviewed analysts, the full recovery of the Russian aviation industry may not occur until 2021. According to Anton Pokatovich, against the background of the gradual opening of borders by the end of 2020, most international air routes will still remain inaccessible.

“The Russian authorities are increasing the number of foreign destinations, which will become key drivers of growth in the aviation market in the next six months. However, the industry is still under pressure from the uncertainty surrounding the situation with the coronavirus in the world. In the summer, the number of COVID-19 cases began to grow again, so some countries have already begun to restore quarantine restrictions. In the event of a second wave, some of the international routes may be frozen, but there is no need to wait for the complete closure of the borders, ”the expert concluded.