At the end of the summer, the monthly passenger traffic of Russian airports increased almost nine times compared to the end of spring.

This is evidenced by the data of the Federal Air Transport Agency published on Wednesday, September 30.

So, in August, airlines transported almost 18 million people, while in May the value did not exceed 2 million.

Analysts interviewed by RT attribute the noticeable recovery of civil aviation to the abolition of quarantine restrictions.

Recall that from June 9 in Moscow, the self-isolation regime introduced in March was canceled.

Most regions followed the example of the capital, which caused record demand for tickets.

“During the quarantine period, citizens were restricted in movement, so there was a pent-up demand that the Russians were trying to realize.

In addition, if in June and July some citizens were still afraid to leave their region amid the uncertainty with the virus, then in August many still decided to do it, ”Artyom Deev, head of the analytical department of AMarkets, said in an interview with RT.

The increase in passenger traffic in August is due, among other things, to the vacation season.

Thus, experts point to record sales of tickets to Russian resorts.

As RT was told in the press service of the tourist service "Tutu.ru", in the summer, flights to the Crimea, Sochi and Anapa were in greatest demand among Russians.

In addition, Krasnodar, Kaliningrad and Mineralnye Vody are included in the top 10 popular flight destinations.

According to Olga Epikhina, head of the Tutu.ru Airline Service, the demand for air tickets remained stable in the fall.

Travelers continued to book places to seaside resorts.

Kazan was also included in the list of in-demand destinations, which in summer was not on the list of popular routes.

“To a large extent, the increase in demand was influenced by low prices for flights.

So, the cost of air tickets this summer was almost a quarter less than the same period in 2019.

The average check for round-trip routes in Russia decreased by 24%, from 15.7 to 12 thousand rubles.

In the fall, the figure is still at the level of 10.8 thousand rubles, which is 17% lower than last year, "- said Epikhina in a conversation with RT.

It is noteworthy that the return of flight programs throughout the country has become an additional incentive for the recovery of the tourism industry.

As the head of the transportation department of the AsstrA group of companies Anton Nowyou told RT, the opening of popular beach destinations allowed tour operators to cover some of the losses caused by the pandemic.

“For example, in the summer, about 80% of all passenger traffic in Sochi is accounted for by tourists, so tour operators were eagerly awaiting the removal of restrictions at least for the vacation season.

Also in favor of the prompt restoration of domestic tourism was the cashback program, which involves the return of part of the money for tours around Russia.

The extension of this initiative can support the industry in the low season, ”said Nowyouv.

  • RIA News

  • © Alexey Maishev

Recall that the cashback program was in effect from August 21 to 28.

Citizens could receive partial compensation for travel expenses in Russia.

According to the Federal Tourism Agency, the service was used by more than 60 thousand Russians who purchased tours for 1.4 billion rubles.

On September 10, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed the government to prepare documents to extend the program for 2021.

External factor

Analysts also explain the observed growth in air passenger traffic by the partial opening of external borders.

So, in August, Russia resumed international flights with Turkey, Great Britain, Tanzania, Switzerland and Abkhazia.

In September, Russians were allowed to travel to Egypt, the UAE, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, South Korea and the Maldives.

The expansion of the route network provoked a sharp demand for tickets abroad.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, in August, passenger traffic on international airlines at Russian airports increased 8.2 times - up to 911.6 thousand people.

Flights to Antalya and Istanbul were the absolute leaders, according to the data of Tutu.ru. 

“The share of self-booking tickets to Turkey in August increased 11 times compared to last year.

Also, a serious increase in interest was observed when flights to Minsk, Bishkek and Nur-Sultan were opened.

At the same time, prices for autumn bookings to neighboring countries averaged 19.4 thousand rubles, which is comparable to the figure for 2019, and the price tag for European destinations increased by 6%.

This suggests that Russians have missed foreign travel, ”Olga Epikhina emphasized. 

Meanwhile, as Anton Nowov notes, against the background of the gradual opening of external borders, most international air routes remain inaccessible to Russians.

Against this background, the full recovery of the Russian aviation industry can only take place in 2021, the expert believes. 

“The authorities are carefully increasing the number of foreign destinations, which are helping to make up for the losses to the aviation and tourism industries. At the same time, the uncertainty around the situation with the coronavirus in the world remains. The number of COVID-19 cases has begun to rise again, so the risk of returning restrictions remains high enough. However, it is not yet necessary to talk about the resumption of the self-isolation regime and the complete closure of the borders, which gives the air carriers the chances for a prompt restoration as early as next year, "explained Nowyouv.