Passenger air travel

Air ticket booking systems

Main article: Air ticket booking systems

Global market

Airports in the world

Main article: Airports in the world

Aircraft (Global Market)

Main article: Aircraft (global market)

2023

Traffic growth by 36.9%

At the end of 2023, the volume of global passenger air transportation rose by 36.9% compared to the previous year and reached approximately 94.1% of the indicator observed before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such data are reflected in the report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which was published on January 31, 2024.

International traffic in 2023 increased by 41.6% compared to 2022 and reached 88.6% of the 2019 level. The volume of domestic passenger air transportation on an annualized basis increased by 30.4% and exceeded the 2019 figure by 3.9%. Significant growth is associated with the lifting of restrictions imposed during the pandemic and the restoration of tourist flows. Analysts say the improvement is giving a positive boost to the global economy.

Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region reported an increase in international traffic during 2023 by 126.1% compared to 2022: this is the highest figure among all markets. The volume of traffic of European carriers on an annualized basis rose by 22%. Middle Eastern airlines registered growth of 33.3%, while African carriers registered growth of 38.7%. North American companies reported annual traffic growth of 28.3%, while Latin American carriers increased traffic by 28.6% compared to 2022.

The study notes that China's domestic air traffic in 2023 increased by 138.8% compared to the previous year, 7.1% higher than in 2019. Australia (minus 4.2% compared to 2019) and Japan (minus 3.2% relative to the level before the COVID-19 period) are the only major domestic markets that in 2023 could not fully restore demand for air passenger traffic.^[1]

20 airlines in the world went bankrupt in a year

At the end of 2023, almost two dozen airlines went bankrupt on a global scale. We are talking about both relatively small local and regional operators, and quite large carriers. This is stated in a study by the independent consulting company Allplane, the results of which were published on December 31, 2023.

It is noted that in 2023, many airlines benefited from the tourist boom associated with the lifting of severe restrictions imposed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, other carriers faced significant financial difficulties and were forced to file for bankruptcy in order to protect against creditors or completely curtail operations. Among the key problems of small carriers are the rise in fuel prices and fierce competition against the background of vague prospects in the current macroeconomic situation.

In particular, in 2023, iAero Airways, formerly known as Swift Air (based in Greensboro, North Carolina), declared bankruptcy. It operates a large fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. It is reported that the debts of this operator reached $1 billion. In addition, the bankruptcy in 2023 was announced by the British Flybe, which was forced to stop all air traffic. And the American Red Way curtailed operations just three months after organizing flights. Other airlines that went bankrupt in 2023 included:

• Cascadia Air (Canada);
• Flyr (Norway);
• Novair (Sweden);
• Aeromar (Mexico);
• Viva Air (Colombia );
• Ultra Air (Colombia);
• Niceair (Iceland);
• GoFirst (India);
• Fly Gangwon (South Korea);
• Air Moldova (Moldova);
• Thai Smile (Thailand);
• Buta Airways (Azerbaijan);
• Swoop (Canada);
• MY Airways (Malaysia);
• JC International Airlines (Cambodia);
• Equair (Ecuador);
• Hi Air (South Korea).^[2]

2022: Growth in air travel to 68.5% from pre-Covid-19

The International Air Transport Association in February 2023 announced that global air travel in 2022 reached 68.5% of the level recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.

2020: The number of air travel in the world in March decreased by 63% due to coronavirus

According to the industry research company Cirium, in March 2020, the number of flights in the world decreased by 63% compared to the same period in 2019. In the United States, passenger air travel has become 95% less due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the measures introduced to combat it.

By the end of April 2020, a total of 16 thousand passenger aircraft are idle. For two-thirds of liners, the main task is to ensure such conditions on the ground so that the equipment maintains its flight readiness by the time the market recovers.

Parking costs for airlines are very significant - according to the data that leads to Bloomberg a large plane parking at the airport can cost a thousand a dollars day. The International Air Association transport (IATA) has asked countries around the world to reduce parking rates - under normal conditions, they usually do not exceed 2% of airport revenues, but now the survival of airlines depends on them. 

Due to the cancellation of a huge number of flights, most airlines either reduced staff (this primarily affected the employees responsible for aircraft maintenance) or sent people on paid leave.

In the 30-day period from March 14 to April 12, 2020, about 245,000 air travel between the United States and Europe was planned with the participation of about 5.5 million passengers. The cancellation of only these flights resulted in a loss of revenue of $2 billion.

 London Heathrow Airport suffered the most, which during this period was supposed to receive 820 thousand passengers. The three most severely affected air harbors also included Paris International Airport - Charles de Gaulle (370 thousand) and   Frankfurt am Main International Airport (340 thousand). Airports in Amsterdam and Dublin missed 290 thousand and 160 thousand passengers, respectively.^[3]

2008

The global passenger air transportation market experienced the 2008 crisis with a decline in growth from 8.8% in 2007 to 1.5% in 2008 and a 4% drop in passenger numbers in 2009. There was also a decrease in the filling of the aircraft with passengers. So in 2008, the percentage of seat employment decreased to 76.5% since 2007, when the percentage was 77.1%. And already in 2009, the percentage fell to 74.2%.

In general, it can be noted that the global air transportation market of passengers has practically improved in two years and has again gone into growth. Although at the end of 2017, the pre-crisis growth rate (2007 - 8.8%) has not yet reached. The main reason can be called the deterioration of the general geopolitical situation in the world associated with wars in the Middle East.

As for the forecasts for the development of the global market for 2018, according to forecasts of UNWTO (World Tourism Organization), the total passenger traffic of airlines around the world in 2018 may increase by 10%. The main reason for such a sharp growth of the market over the past 10 years, they consider the global economic recovery, which will affect the high demand for international and local tourism. Analysts at Uniteller (Uniteller Platform) The pre-processing settlement center is less optimistic in its forecasts and believe that the global passenger air transportation market will grow by no more than 7-8% in 2018. Thus, it can be expected that the global passenger traffic by the end of 2018 will amount to 4.3-4.5 billion people.

Russian market

Airports in Russia

Main article: Airports in Russia

Unified Air Traffic Management System of the Russian Federation

Main article: Unified Air Traffic Management System of the Russian Federation

2024: Russia buys 165 aircraft from foreign lessors

For the whole of 2023 and the first weeks of 2024, Russian airlines bought 165 aircraft from their foreign lessors. This was announced on February 20, 2024 by RBC with reference to its own calculations based on open data and information from its sources.

According to the interlocutors of the publication, the limit of the National Welfare Fund (NWF) allocated for these purposes in the amount of 300 billion rubles has been exhausted. The publication says that the purchased aircraft made up approximately 40% of the fleet of foreign aircraft. The largest number of ships received Aeroflot - 93 aircraft. S7 Airlines has settled disputes with lessors for 45 aircraft. Another 19 aircraft were bought by Ural Airlines, Aurora Airlines - eight medium-haul Airbus A319.

Russian airlines bought 165 aircraft from their foreign lessors

The ransom is necessary to remove foreign registrations from aircraft so that their owners (lessors) do not interfere with the operation of aircraft on foreign routes. Ownership of the redeemable vessels passes to the state insurance company NSC, which owns the leasing company NLC-Finance. Through it, planes are leased to Russian airlines. The NSC is controlled by the FSUE Administration of Civil Airports, subordinate to the Federal Air Transport Agency.

Director of Aviaport Oleg Panteleev noted that the bought out number of ships may be enough to meet the demand for international transportation. However, in his opinion, the priority for the Russian government is to satisfy the demand for domestic transportation. Panteleev stressed that further allocation of public funds for redemption is unlikely. Now it is more important to solve the problem of saturation of the fleet with domestic aircraft, he added.^[4]

2023

Growth of total revenue of Russian airlines by 31% to 1.37 trillion rubles

The total revenue of Russian airlines in 2023 reached 1.37 trillion rubles, which is 31% more than a year earlier. The indicator became a record, it exceeded the maximum of 2019, when there was no COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, due to which passenger traffic decreased sharply in the Russian Federation and around the world. This is evidenced by the data of the ACRA agency, published at the end of March 2024.

As Kommersant writes with reference to this study, the RASK indicator (the airline's revenue per seat-kilometer) in 2023 increased by 16% compared to 2022, largely from the rise in air ticket prices.

The total revenue of Russian airlines in 2023 reached 1.37 trillion rubles

Another catalyst for the growth of air carrier revenues was an increase in the average flight range - from 1.85 thousand km in 2019 to 2.2 thousand km in 2023. This, according to the researchers, is due to the development of domestic tourism, which partly replaced trips abroad, as well as the lengthening of flight routes to open airports in southern Russia. This situation had an impact both on passenger turnover and on the growth of airline expenses, analysts emphasize.

According to the study, the CASK (carrier's expenses per seat-kilometer) indicator did not grow so much in 2023 - by 2.7%. As a result, the ratio of income and expenses of carriers per seat-kilometer (RASK/CASK) in 2023 turned out to be high - at the level of 1.21. For comparison: in 2012-2019. the dynamics of the RASK/CASK ratio was in the region of 1.04-1.13, and in 2020 fell to 0.88 amid the coronavirus pandemic and lower air ticket prices.

According to analysts, in the future airlines will have less opportunities to raise prices, but their costs will continue to increase. According to them, the potential for higher prices for flights will remain and will not lead to a significant reduction in passenger traffic.^[5]

More than 2 thousand airborne drivers removed from flights

In 2023, police officers removed over 2 thousand rowdy from flights. More than half of them were intoxicated. This was announced on February 18, 2024 by the Main Directorate for Transport of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

It is noted that most of the air defenses in 2023 were detained at the airports of the Moscow air hub, St. Petersburg in and. Murmansk Of the total number of these persons, 62 people were prosecuted, about 2 thousand - to administrative. It was established that approximately 1300 of the detained rowdy were on board in a state of alcoholic intoxication.

In 2023, police officers removed over 2 thousand rowdy from flights

For the last [2023] year alone, more than two thousand citizens were removed and removed from flights directly. If in dynamics over the past three years, then every year the police are detained at about the same level for hooliganism on board the aircraft or when boarding, "said Oleg Kalinkin, head of the Main Directorate for Transport of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

One of the high-profile incidents in 2023 occurred in April: a drunk man who was flying from Phuket was detained at the Krasnoyarsk airport. The passenger swore loudly, rude to other people and aggressively responded to the flight attendants, and also constantly walked around the aircraft cabin. And in November, a businessman from Yekaterinburg on a Guangzhou flight to Moscow made a drunken brawl, announcing a bomb on board the plane. The crew had to conduct a full inspection of the liner with the participation of passengers: explosive devices or any suspicious items were not found. In the same month, a drunken man on board a Moscow-Bangkok flight made a scandal, threatening the crew. At the end of 2023, a drunk 30-year-old woman made a brawl on a Pobeda Boeing 737-800 flying from Antalya to Moscow: she was rude, insulted other passengers and smoked an e-cigarette.^[6]

Aircraft bird collisions rise to 1,044 cases

In 2023, 1,044 cases of collisions of Russian airlines with birds were recorded. Of these, 90 incidents resulted in aircraft damage. This is evidenced by the data of the Federal Air Transport Agency, published on February 12, 2024.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the number of air incidents with birds that led to damage was more only in 2017 - then 110 incidents were recorded. In 2018, 74 damage to aircraft with birds occurred, and in 2019 - 83. One of these collisions became famous when a Ural Airlines Airbus plane collided with a pack of seagulls and made an emergency landing in a corn field.

In 2023, the number of aviation incidents related to the collision of aircraft with birds increased in Russia

There has been no significant increase in the relative number of aviation incidents - the average rate of collisions of aircraft with birds in Russia over the past five years is at the level of three collisions per 100 thousand take-off and landing operations - told RBC representative of the Federal Air Transport Agency Artem Korenyako.

The smallest number of aircraft incidents with birds occurred in 2020. This indicator is explained by a decrease in global air traffic due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Most airlines did not comment on the statistics of the Federal Air Transport Agency. Ural Airlines in 2023 recorded 25 cases of collisions of its aircraft with birds. Ten of them were brought to damage to ships. The representative of the airline Vera Gasnikova noted that the reasons for the increase in the number of incidents may be the adaptation of birds to methods and means of combating them. In addition, the imperfection of existing legislation in this area is noted.^[7]

Increase in the number of air incidents by 2 times to 74 cases

In 2023, at least 74 air incidents occurred in Russia, which is 38 more than a year earlier. This was reported in early February 2024 by the German research company Jacdec, which collects information about plane crashes and accidents.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing Jacdec materials, the ratio of air incidents for every 100 thousand departures in 2023 was almost 10, which is twice as much as in 2022 (5 per 100 thousand departures). In most cases, serious damage or disaster was avoided, experts interviewed by the publication note. At the same time, they note that mechanical problems pose a serious risk to passenger safety and increase the load on pilots, which could lead to more serious consequences in the future.

In 2023, at least 74 air incidents occurred in Russia

The publication says that many of the air incidents in the Russian Federation, which occurred in 2023, are associated with sanctions imposed against Russia, which limited Russian airlines access to spare parts for aircraft, foreign service centers and insurance. We are talking, among other things, about repeated cases of fire and engine failure during flight, rupture of rubber tires of the landing gear during landing and flaps malfunction, which led to a deviation from the course, WSJ points out.

Earlier, the press service of the Federal Air Transport Agency reported that for 11 months of 2023 the number of air accidents decreased by 1.3%, to 670 cases, compared to the same period in 2022. The number of incidents related to failures of aircraft and engines amounted to 400 cases, which is 2% less than in January - November 2022. The department clarified that there are fewer incidents due to the increase in the flight of aircraft of domestic carriers.^[8]

Passenger traffic growth by 10% to 105 million passengers

In 2023, Russian airlines transported 105 million passengers, which is 10% more than a year earlier. Such data in January 2024 led the Minister of Transport RFVitaliy Savelyev. According to him, passenger traffic in aviation turned out to be 2 million people higher than expected in the government.

As RIA Novosti clarifies, the Federal Air Transport Agency predicted the passenger traffic of Russian airlines in 2023 at the level of 103 million people. In early January 2024, the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Dmitry Yadrov told reporters that Russian airlines in 2023, according to preliminary estimates, transported more than 103 million people.

Russian airlines transported 105 million passengers

The results of 2023 are still lagging behind the pre-pandemic (we are talking about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic) records - in 2018, domestic operators transported 116.2 people, in 2019 - a record 128.1 million passengers. So far, the industry has not been able to achieve the results of 2021, Vedomosti notes in the issue of January 12, 2024.

But passenger traffic in 2023 significantly exceeded the target values ​ ​ laid down in the basic scenario of the comprehensive program for the development of the air transport industry until 2030. According to the document, in 2023, airlines were supposed to carry 101.2 million passengers, in 2024 - 102.2 million passengers, in 2025 - 103.2 million people.

In December 2023, Reuters, based on data from the Ministry of Finance and the Accounts Chamber, calculated that Russia since March 2022 has allocated $12.1 billion (1.1 trillion rubles) in the form of state subsidies and loans to support the domestic aviation sector. The agency linked this to the imposition of Western sanctions. In 2022, foreign aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing stopped supplying spare parts and providing maintenance services for Russian aircraft.^[9]

36% reduction in breakdowns

On January 17, 2024, Rostransnadzor reported a sharp decrease in the number of aircraft breakdowns, as well as a decrease in the number of victims in plane crashes.

But if we say that the volume of passenger traffic and cargo transportation is growing in all types of transport, so the accident rate is seriously decreasing. The first is everything related to air transport - by 36%. The highest rate of decline, - said the head of Rostransnadzor Viktor Basargin at a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (quoted by RIA Novosti).

According to him, the death toll in air transport accidents in Russia in 2023 was one of the lowest in recent years. Basargin did not give an absolute indicator and only said that we are talking about a 30% decrease in deaths as a result of the fall of aircraft and helicopters.

All this is achieved, among other things, due to the fact that the department conducts supervisory measures, said the head of Rostransnadzor.

Although I must note that compared to 2021, we have reduced the number of verification activities by more than 30 times, "he added.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, at the end of 2023, the statistics on the safety of air travel in Russia almost did not change compared to pre-sanction times. The average level of indicators has remained unchanged since 2019. On average, 800 aviation incidents occur per year, including 60% due to equipment failure.

Rosaviatsia also cites statistics on air accidents: in 2019 - six (including two due to equipment failure), in 2020 - 11 (three), in 2021 - 12 (four), in 2022 - 15 (one), for 11 months 2023 - eight (one).

At the same time, the number of delays for technical reasons is growing in the industry, they do not fall into the statistics of aviation incidents. According to a Kommersant source close to the Ministry of Transport, we are talking about non-critical problems identified during the pre-flight inspection: replacing filters, pads, bulbs and other consumables.^[10]

Rapid development of domestic transportation

After Russian airlines were cut off from many international routes with Western countries, they switched to the development of new domestic traffic in the largest country in the world. According to official data, they have already achieved the goal set by President Vladimir Putin in 2018 - 50% of routes bypassing Moscow, ahead of the initial figure of 2024.

The growth of domestic air transportation, even despite the closure of airports in tourist cities in southern Russia as part of the conflict with Ukraine, is largely due to state support, the Ministry of Transport said in response to a request from Bloomberg.

Despite the sanctions pressure, international air transportation is "intensively developing": in the first nine months of 2023, passenger traffic increased by almost 30% compared to the same period last year, the ministry said. Russia has air communication with 37 countries of the world, transportation is carried out by 59 foreign carriers, the ministry said in a statement.

However, the industry is still so far dependent on Boeing and Airbus aircraft and has to look for alternative ways to maintain and maintain its fleet at home and abroad. This year, Aeroflot sent its first aircraft for service to Iran.

Rosaviatsia allocated 8.1 billion rubles for interregional air transportation in 2024

In November 2023, it became known about the allocation of 8.1 billion rubles from the federal budget to subsidize interregional air transportation by government decree No. 1242. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, we are talking about the amount for 2024. The department added that in January-November 2023, about 3.6 million air tickets at a special tariff were put up for sale, and 3.41 million units are expected in 2024.

Initially, the department planned to allocate about 9.3 billion rubles to support interregional air transportation in 2024. Then the amount changed again - 7.2 billion rubles, Vedomosti writes.

According to the newspaper, S7 Airlines suffered the most, which creates the only transport hub east of Moscow at the Novosibirsk Tolmachevo airport. S7 bases medium-haul and short-haul aircraft there, generating part of the passenger traffic only through subsidizing flights.

In 2019, the airline received subsidies for transportation in the amount of about 1 billion rubles, during the pandemic the amount of payments decreased, and in 2022 amounted to about 700 million rubles. for flights bypassing Moscow. In August 2023, S7 received 800 million rubles in subsidies. For 2024, the carrier was approved by 300 million rubles.

The reason for this distribution of subsidies is that the Federal Air Transport Agency primarily satisfies requests for flights to the Far Eastern region, then flights to hard-to-reach cities and applications from operators of Russian equipment. The remaining subsidies are distributed to other carriers.

Budget funds were not enough for a significant part of the routes announced by Kazan airline UVT, which operates 50-seat Canadian Bombardier CRJ-200. For 2024, five out of five declared routes from Bugulma and only four routes in the direction from Kazan out of 15 declared ones were approved for subsidies.^[11]

Russian airlines will receive money from the NWF to buy Western aircraft

Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and iFly have agreed with the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation to allocate funds from the NWF to buy out aircraft from Western lessors. This became known at the end of August 2023.

According to Kommersant, Aeroflot agreed to buy out 18 aircraft of the Irish AerCap, Ural Airlines - 19 boards of various owners, iFly - three Airbus A330 from the American Air Lease Corporation. Aeroflot at the beginning of the summer of 2023 planned to receive at least 47 aircraft, but, according to the interlocutor of the publication, by the end of August 2023, "an extremely delicate approval process continues."

The purchase of foreign aircraft will allow them to be removed from the Bermuda registers and, Ireland which means that these liners will be able to fly abroad, notes. Kommersant As of the end of June 2023, Russian airlines used 475 aircraft registered in the Bermuda register.

18 Aeroflot medium-haul aircraft can cost up to 53 billion rubles, 19 Airbus of Ural Airlines up to 33 billion rubles, three iFly A330 up to 10 billion rubles, said Elena Sakhnova, an analyst at the My Investments Telegram channel. 300 billion rubles from the NWF are provided for the redemption of aircraft, but perhaps no more than 100 billion rubles are available by August 2023.

S7 also does not intend to "abandon the possibility of state financing," although it is still in the process of approvals, sources told the newspaper. Utair was able to agree on a deal for nine of its Boeing, but decided to do without help and "raise funds on its own." At the same time, the Ministry of Transport demanded that those airlines that received subsidies in 2022 and ended it with a net profit fully send it to finance transactions with lessors.^[12]

Russia purchased $1.2 billion in aircraft parts despite US and EU sanctions

Despite Western sanctions designed to prevent Russian carriers from purchasing parts for their Airbus and Boeing aircraft, Ural Airlines imported more than 20 pieces of American equipment from February 2022 to June 2023, according to customs data, Reuters [1] reported.

In total, from May 2022, when most of the US and EU trade restrictions and export bans due to the conflict in Ukraine came into force, until the end of June 2023, Russian airlines received at least $1.2 billion in air supplies, an analysis of customs data shows. The amount of 1.2 billion dollars. The United States is underestimated compared to the total cost of importing aircraft parts, since not all consignments are included in it.

In Russia, disable access to the SITA system

In mid-August 2023, it became known about the upcoming shutdown of telecommunications channels owned by the provider of services for civil aviation, the Swiss company Societe Internationale de Telecommunication Aeronautiqes (SITA). Because of this, domestic and foreign carriers operating flights between Russia and other countries may face difficulties in ensuring such flights. Read more here.

Mishustin allocated 5 billion rubles to support the air traffic management system in Russia

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order that allocated 5 billion rubles to support the air traffic management system in Russia. The corresponding document was published on August 10, 2023. Read more here.

IT system for servicing civil aviation equipment is being created in Russia

Rostec is creating an automated civil aircraft service system that will bring together developers, manufacturers, maintenance centers and airlines. The press service of the state corporation announced this at the end of May 2023. Read more here.

Western sanctions to block air travel in Russia failed

The journal Wirtschaftswoche examined Flightradar24 data over the past year. The picture shows a comparison of April 2022 flights with the end of March 2023. Their movement has barely changed.

According to the newspaper, the hope of Western countries was that three quarters of the Russian civil aviation fleet would stand up.

The fleet of airlines in Russia is 1,164 aircraft

Russian airlines continue to buy aircraft from foreign lessors. The fleet of Russian airlines is 1,164 aircraft, it fully meets all demand, said the head of the Ministry of Transport Savelyev in January 2023.

2022

Flight safety growth to highest level since 2018

According to the report of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), which would have been released in May 2023, flight safety in Russia in 2022 was at the highest level since at least 2018.

As the Kommersant newspaper writes with reference to the materials of the IAC, at the end of 2022, 34 air accidents were recorded in the Russian Federation, including 13 air accidents, in which 24 people died. It is noted that all cases occurred in small regional aviation, helicopter and business transportation. Such an indicator turned out to be at an average level over the past five years.

According to the publication, the most representative indicator of flight safety is the number of accidents per 1 million flights. In passenger commercial transportation in the CIS in 2022, it was at the lowest level in the last five years - 1.2.

The interlocutor in the Ministry of Transport added that in 2021 this figure for Russia was about 1.6. There is no data on the Russian Federation for 2022 yet, he specified in mid-May 2023. According to IATA, the average coefficient for the 300 largest international airlines (they account for more than 80% of global air travel) for 2022 was 1.21.

The relatively positive result of 2022 may be an accident, says Valery Shelkovnikov, president of the international consultative and analytical agency Flight Safety. According to him, the growth of the influence of the human factor remains a big problem and requires a serious comprehensive study.

When interpreting statistical data, one should "refrain from complacency," agrees Oleg Panteleev, executive director of Aviaport. Based on a short observation period, it is impossible to identify a trend, for a correct assessment, it is worth focusing on comparative indicators in leading Avirnki, the expert believes.^[13]

The share of domestic flights without landing in Moscow for the first time reached 50%

In Russia, the share of domestic flights without landing in Moscow for the first time reached 50%. This happened in 2022, as evidenced by the data of the State Corporation for Air Traffic Management, which were released in mid-March 2023.

In 2019, 39% of all domestic flights flew around the capital, in 2020 - 45.6%, in 2021 - 46.3%. According to the "Comprehensive Plan for the Modernization and Expansion of the Main Infrastructure" (KPMI), approved by order of the Government of the Russian Federation in 2018, the share of flights bypassing Moscow was supposed to increase to 51.35% in 2024.

According to experts interviewed by RBC, the share of flights bypassing Moscow increased due to the following factors:

• the closure of southern airports, which accounted for a significant part of domestic passenger traffic, after the start of the military operation in Ukraine. As a result, the number of flights to the North Caucasus Federal District increased, including from regional centers, and not just Moscow;
• a ban on flights to European countries, which led to an increase in domestic tourism and air travel. Russian airlines began to develop domestic routes between Russian cities, losing flights to Europe;
• the fall in the volume of international traffic and the growth of state support for the industry, including subsidies for domestic air travel.

According to a representative of the airline "YuVT Aero," the regional administration was actively involved in subsidizing flights bypassing Moscow. Thanks to the decisions made by the federal authorities on state support for 174.2 billion rubles in order to "level sanctions," airlines and airports were able to systematically continue their activities in 2022, said the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko. The subsidies presented to the airlines (over 100 billion rubles) did not allow an increase in the cost of tickets for the population and retained the conditions for the availability of air transportation, he added.^[14]

59% reduction in transit flights

In 2022, 79,652 transit flights were completed through the airspace of the Russian Federation, which is 59% less than a year earlier. Such data in mid-March 2023 was disclosed by the Federal Air Transport Agency.

According to the statistics of the department, 183,692 transit flights were completed in 2021, 19.83% more compared to 2020. In 2022, the maximum intensity of transit flights over the Russian Federation fell on August 26 - on that day 5390 aircraft were served. In 2021, the maximum daily rate was 6285.

In total, in the sky over Russia in 2022, dispatchers served 1.4 million flights, which is 13% less compared to 2021. The reduction in the intensity of flights is explained by the restriction of the work of 11 airports in the central and southern parts of the Russian Federation, the closure of the airspace of a number of states for Russian airlines, as well as the mirror measure of Russia against carriers from 36 unfriendly states. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, in 2022, 513 transit permits were issued to foreign companies, in 2021 - 500 permits for transit regular flights.

Before the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in 2022 due to events in Ukraine, foreign airlines flew on the so-called trans-Siberian routes over Russia to reduce the duration of flights between Europe and Asia. For this, the Russian Federation has charged royalties since the 1970s, most of which were received by Aeroflot - according to some estimates, the amounts amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars a year, Interfax notes. By March 2023, only Chinese airlines are flying on trans-Siberian routes.

Additional expenses of 19 foreign carriers, which are forced to fly around the Russian Federation, amount to $37.5 million weekly, calculated in the Ministry of Transport. According to the department, this entails an increase in prices for tickets and transportation of goods.^[15]

Air travel rose by 11%

According to Rosstat, by the end of 2022, the average cost of a flight in economy class per 1,000 km of track within Russia increased by 11% compared to a year ago - from 5482.2 rubles to 6096.9 rubles. Such data were released at the end of January 2023.

An 11% increase is the maximum growth rate of average prices over the past 14 years over one year, Izvestia calculated based on data from the Federal Statistical Service. As the newspaper notes, the correctness of their calculations was confirmed by Rosstat. At the same time, the department clarified that, according to the consumer price index (calculated differently from the dynamics of average prices), last year air travel went up by 19.2%. It is noted that this is the same significant increase in the index for this service since 2008.

According to the sources of the publication in three large booking services, in 2022 the average cost of air tickets for flights in Russia increased by 8-14% compared to 2021.

Alla Yurova, junior director of corporate ratings at the National Rating Agency, added that the increase in prices for travel documents for the year corresponds to the inflation rate in Russia, that is, there is no increase in value in real terms. According to Rosstat, inflation in 2022 amounted to 11.9%.

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Transport Vitaly Savelyev in November 2022, citing data from the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), stated that air ticket prices in 2022 remained at the level of 2020-2021. The FAS press service told the publication that from January to November, prices for air tickets in Russia in 2022 decreased by 13-16% compared to 2021, and the weighted average cost of transporting one passenger in 2022 in the economy class cabin on domestic lines in one direction with a length of 1000 km amounted to 4700 rubles (in 2021 - 5600 rubles).^[16]

9 Russian airlines stopped flights

During 2022, nine Russian airlines stopped flights, while in the previous five years (2017-2022), the Federal Air Transport Agency suspended and then canceled the certificates of five airlines - Buryat Airlines, Pioneer Regional Airlines, Pskov Avia, Saratov Airlines and VIM-Avia. Such figures on January 20, 2023 are quoted by Kommersant with reference to the register of the Federal Air Transport Agency.

In particular, according to the publication, the operator's certificate was canceled from Skol (by January 2023 it is at the stage of bankruptcy). The operator's certificate is the key document of the air carrier, the Federal Air Transport Agency is responsible for its issuance, and after cancellation it can no longer be restored. In 2022, three such documents were suspended at the request of the air carriers themselves. We are talking about SkyGates, Kamchatka and Rostvertol-Avia. Sanctions pushed them to such a decision.

Among those who stopped flights in 2022 are also Royal Flight, business operator Sirius Aero and cargo Atran and AirBridgeCargo. In addition, Bystrolet did not succeed in starting transportation in 2022. The company from St. Petersburg intended to operate flights under the FlyFast brand, but did not implement these plans due to the lack of aircraft.

In 2022, several new companies received certificates: Dzhetika, Research Institute of the Central Park of Gagarin, Arctic, Azimut, Globus, ChukotAVIA, Khabarovsk Airlines.

In 2022, the United States and the EU closed the sky to Russian aircraft and imposed a restriction on the export to Russia of goods from the aviation industry, and all leased aircraft demanded to be returned to lessors in connection with the start of a military operation in Ukraine. In the future, according to the interlocutor of the publication, an official departure from the market of already stopped companies and small regional carriers is expected, which "will have to liquidate or go under the wing of larger competitors."^[17]

Passenger traffic of Russian airlines decreased by 14.3%

Passenger traffic of Russian airlines in 2022 decreased by 14.3% compared to 2021 and amounted to 95.1 million people. This is evidenced by the data of the Federal Air Transport Agency, which were published in January 2023.

According to Vedomosti, Russian air carriers in 2022 transported 16 million fewer passengers than a year earlier, and 5 million below the bar set in March 2022 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In December 2022, 7.1 million passengers were transported, which is 1.1 million people (13%) less than the same period of the previous year.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the passenger turnover of domestic carriers in 2022 was 227.7 billion passenger-kilometers, which is 6.4% lower than in 2021. The percentage of seat employment, on the contrary, increased, amounting to 84% (against 81.5% in 2021). The indicator of commercial loading of flights has also increased. In 2022, it was 70.6% against 65.4% a year earlier. According to Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal, the increase in indicators suggests that "the planes were loaded and did not fly half-empty, as happened before." In March 2022, when the bar of 100 million passengers was announced, not all sanctions were introduced against Russia and the domestic aviation industry, Gusarov said.

Independent aviation expert Alexei Komarov believes that the number of passengers transported in 2023 will depend on the amount of subsidies received by airlines.

This is not a question of the available capacity and the number of seats that airlines can schedule, but the question of what prices tickets will be sold at, the expert explains, since even on the example of this year it turned out that with higher prices, the demand for tickets will fall sharply.[18]

The government allocated 172 billion rubles of subsidies for passenger air transportation

The Russian authorities in 2022 allocated 172 billion rubles of subsidies to the aviation industry, the funds were brought to the recipients and spent in full. This was announced at the end of December 2022 by the Federal Air Transport Agency.

It is noted that despite the restrictions on flights in the south of the country and in the regions bordering Ukraine, as well as sanctions pressure, according to the results of 2022, Russian airlines will achieve the planned indicators for air transportation. The Federal Air Transport Agency will provide the necessary assistance for the development of domestic and international transportation.

The state allocated subsidies to help airlines in 2022:100 billion airlines for flights in the Russian Federation, 19.54 billion rubles for returning the cost of tickets to passengers on routes canceled due to external restrictions, 2.9 billion rubles for cargo carriers, 15 billion rubles to support the air traffic management system, 7.5 billion rubles temporarily closed airports in the south and central part of Russia. More than 27 billion rubles were allocated to traditional programs for subsidizing regional transportation, transportation of the least socially protected categories of citizens and subsidizing the Far Eastern Aurora.

In addition, in November 2022, it became known that in 2023, Russian airlines will be allocated an additional 25 billion rubles as subsidies for flights around the country. Also, as support measures, it is planned to spend money to help the temporarily unemployed 11 air carriers of the southern and central parts of Russia.

In November 2022, the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Alexander Neradko, assured that there was no risk of bankruptcy among Russian airlines.

In July 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the air transportation sector in Russia was under attack under the conditions of sanctions and inadequate decisions of former Western partners. However, at the same time, this situation gives us a unique opportunity to reach a fundamentally new level of development, the head of state pointed out.^[19]

87 imported aircraft can be used on foreign flights

By October 2022, Russian airlines had withdrawn 87 imported aircraft from foreign registers, which is twice as much as it was in March - then Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev spoke about the presence of 44 "clean" foreign aircraft.

Most of the fleet withdrawn from foreign registers (31%, 27 pieces) belongs to Utair, 22 aircraft to the Aeroflot group, six Boeing 737-8 - S7. Pobeda and Ural Airlines have not yet managed to deregister a single side on Bermuda. The withdrawal of aircraft from foreign registers means that these machines can be used on flights abroad.

The number of bookings of private aircraft in Russia has grown 10 times

At the end of September 2022, the demand for private aircraft increased sharply in Russia. This happened after the President of the Russian Federation announced partial mobilization as part of a special operation in Ukraine.

According to The Guardian, most often Russian citizens try to fly to Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan on private planes and pay from 1.3 to 1.6 million rubles for this. In addition, renting an eight-seat aircraft costs 5-9 million rubles, which is several times higher than standard prices for such services.

The head of FlightWay, which organizes charter flights, Eduard Simonov, announced an increase in the number of requests for one-way flights to Armenia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Dubai by 50 times.

Шаблон:Quote 'The situation is absolutely crazy at the moment. Previously, we received 50 requests a day, and now - about five thousand, - said the director of the air rocker "Your Charter" Evgeny Bykov. According to The Guardian, in January-September 2022, about 15% of millionaires left Russia, and the news of partial mobilization "most likely aggravated this trend." The publication quotes an employee of an elite concierge service, who said that after Vladimir Putin's appeal on September 21, "most of the company's young customers" left the country:

Шаблон:Quote 'I usually booked tables for them in restaurants and bars on Patriarch's Ponds, but now I only follow flight aggregators to find the last remaining ticket to Yerevan. Private aviation services are used in Russia not only by millionaires: at the end of September 2022, the Kommersant newspaper, citing its sources, reported that companies buy out charter flights and take out male employees with their families. In particular, it was about video game companies.^[20]

2021: Passenger traffic of Russian airlines increased by 62%

According to the results of 2021, the passenger traffic of Russian airlines increased by 62% and approached the dock (COVID-19) level. On January 12, 2022, the head of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Savelyev reported to President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with members of the Government of the Russian Federation.

According to Savelyev, in 2021, Russian airlines transported 112 million passengers against 69.2 million a year earlier, when flights were significantly limited due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. In pre-pandemic 2019, the figure was measured by 128 million people. Thus, in 2021, relative to 2019, the passenger traffic of Russian airlines fell by 13%.

Domestic transportation, according to the head of the Ministry of Transport, reached 89 million passengers in 2021, which is 59% more than in 2020, and 22% more than in 2019. The growth of the indicator was achieved thanks to the system of subsidizing transportation, the minister noted: in total, 21.9 billion rubles were allocated from the budget in 2021, 63% of this amount - to support flights to the Far East.

In 2022, up to 18.7 billion rubles, or 63% of total funding, will be allocated for these purposes. This amount of funding "will expand the route network, including flights to cities such as Yakutsk, Chita," Savelyev said.

Data are also provided, according to which international air transportation in 2021 amounted to 23 million people. This is 1.8 times more than in 2020, and 2.4 times less than in 2019.

The airline Victory"" previously stated that it plans to increase passenger traffic by one and a half times in 2021, from 9 million to 13.5 million people. In this case, the low-cost airline can equal the largest private player -. S7 Transportation indicators of individual airlines by January 12, 2022 are not given.^[21]

According to preliminary estimates of the Association of Air Transport Operators (AEVT), the operating losses of Russian passenger air carriers for 2021 ranged from 70 billion to 80 billion rubles.

2020

Total losses of Russian airlines reached 125 billion rubles

The total losses of the 15 largest Russia passenger airlines in 2020 amounted to 125 billion rubles against 4 billion rubles of profit registered a year earlier. Writes about this with RBC reference to the accounting statements of carriers.

Most of the losses in 2020 fell on Aeroflot - 96.53 billion rubles. Ural Airlines is in second place (5.85 billion rubles), Siberia is in third place (S7 brand; 5.23 billion rubles).

It is logical that Aeroflot's losses will be several times larger than those of other Russian airlines, which, firstly, are smaller and, secondly, have a large share of domestic traffic, "explained Elena Sakhnova, an analyst at VTB Capital.

"Victory" turned out to be the only airline that ended 2020 with net profit. Passenger traffic of the low-cost airline decreased by only 12%. The representative of the air carrier, to which the publication refers, called making a profit "a miracle."

According to Sergey Zaitsev, a senior expert at Bain & Company aviation practice, the level of losses in the passenger air transportation industry is certainly unprecedented, especially since the industry has remained unprofitable for several years.

The losses of Russian companies are associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, due to which people began to travel less around the country, and international air traffic decreased significantly. Due to the restrictions imposed, passenger traffic in 2020 decreased by 46%, to 69 million people. As a result, civil aviation rolled back in terms of the number of passengers to the indicators of the last decade: in 2011, Russian companies transported 64 million passengers, in 2012 - 74 million.

The best dynamics in terms of passenger traffic last year showed the airline "Azimut," which specializes in flights to the south of Russia - a decrease of 2%, to 1.2 million people.^[22]

Foreign passenger traffic of Russian airlines collapsed by 76%, to 13.1 million people - Rosaviatsia

The foreign passenger traffic of Russian airlines in 2020 collapsed by 76.2% and amounted to 13.1 million people. This is stated in the statistics of the Federal Air Transport Agency.

Passenger traffic between Russia and the CIS countries amounted to 1.5 million people, transportation outside the Commonwealth countries was at the level of 11.6 million people. The dynamics of the fall in both cases was measured by 76%. Domestic passenger traffic in 2020 decreased by 23%, to 56.2 million people.

According to the International Airport Association, passenger traffic on air transport in Russia, according to preliminary results of 2020, decreased by 46% from the level of 2019.

The most difficult month of 2020 was April, when the decline reached 91%. Then there was a steady growth, and in September air transportation fell by only 25% of 2019 with almost completely closed international flights. After the summer tourist season ended, there was a pullback. In November, passenger traffic decreased by 45% compared to 2019, but in December the decline was 38%.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has led to a double drop in passenger traffic through the airports of the Moscow Aviation Hub (UIA) by the end of 2020. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the passenger traffic of UIA airports decreased by 52.3%, to 48.5 million people. The most affected:

• international transportation, the fall of which amounted to almost 76% (about 12 million people were served);
• domestic flights: passenger traffic decreased by 30% (36.5 million people);
• cargo transportation decreased by 13%, to 421 thousand tons;
• mail transportation - by 24.6%, up to 64.2 thousand tons.

The pandemic affected the capital the most. Sheremetyevo Airport Its passenger traffic decreased by 60.4% (19.6 million people were served). Passenger Vnukovo traffic decreased by 47.6% (to 12.6 million people). Passenger traffic Domodedovo at the end of the year fell by 42%, to 16.4 million people.^[23]

Transportation of Russian airlines decreased by 46%

Transportation of Russian airlines in 2020 decreased by 46% - to 69.17 million passengers, and passenger turnover during the same period reached 153.43 billion passenger kilometers (-52%). This was reported in the Federal Air Transport Agency, which previously expected a reduction in passenger traffic by about 50%.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, Aeroflot Airlines transported 14.6 million passengers in 2020, which is 61% less than a year earlier. Next are:

• "Victory" - 9.1 million passengers (-12%);
• Rossiya - 5.7 million passengers (-51%);
• Ural Airlines - 5.6 million passengers (-41%).
• Siberia - 12.3 million passengers (-31%).

The entire Aeroflot group, excluding the Far Eastern Aurora (left the group in December 2020), reduced its annual passenger traffic by 50% to 29.4 million people.

A significant reduction in passenger air travel in Russia, as well as around the world, was due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic - many countries were forced to minimize flights as a measure to prevent the spread of infection.

Earlier, the Government of the Russian Federation sent 23.4 billion rubles to airlines for monthly compensation of airline expenses - leasing, airport fees, fuel, payment of salaries to staff. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, these measures helped to maintain aviation personnel at a level of at least 90% of the number of employees as of January 1, 2020.

But the situation in the industry remains difficult. By the beginning of January 2021, airlines lack 50 billion rubles of state support to survive the autumn-winter period, according to a letter sent to the government by the Association of Air Transport Operators (AEVT). Air travel has not recovered and is still much lower than before the pandemic, and in winter it will be even lower. In winter, the costs of maintaining aircraft are also higher, the association noted.^[24]

Aeroflot for the first time lost its leadership in air transportation in Russia

On May 12, 2020, it became known about the first change of leadership in the Russian aviation market. In April 2020, Aeroflot, which constantly ranked first in terms of passenger traffic, served 148 thousand people in April 2020. which is less than S7 (214 thousand).

It is reported by Kommersant with reference to the data of the Federal Air Transport Agency. Passenger traffic S7 in April 2020 decreased by 78.9% compared to the same period in 2019. Aeroflot's figure decreased by 95.2%.

The Federal Air Transport Agency explained that the leader of the rating has changed, because the domestic market fell more slowly than the international one. And S7 is more focused on the domestic market than Aeroflot, for which international transportation is the main one. In addition, since 2020, S7 Group has consolidated its companies "Siberia" and Globus, which made it possible to supplement its statistics.

The executive director of Aviaport Oleg Panteleev, in a conversation with the publication, noted that S7 has a lot of traffic from Novosibirsk, where the distribution level coronavirus COVID-19 is lower than c. In To Moscow addition, the airline has good positions on regional subsidized routes, the expert adds. At the same time, there are many small Embraer 170 in the S7 fleet, which can be used break even on a number of routes even in the current situation of low demand, Mr. Panteleev believes.

In April 2020, Russian carriers served a total of 771.2 thousand passengers, the decrease in air transportation is 91.8% compared to the same period last year. Passenger turnover decreased by 93.2% and amounted to 1.586 billion passenger kilometers. In total, 24.1 million passengers were transported in the first four months of 2020, which is 29.5% less than a year ago.^[25]

2018

The Center for Statistics and Economic Research TKP provided in May 2019 data on the results of the development of the aviation industry for 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. According to the TKP, global civil passenger turnover in 2018 increased by 6.5% compared to 2017, in the first quarter of 2019 there is its stable growth.

The number of passengers transported by Russian airlines in 2018 increased by 10.6% compared to the previous year and amounted to 116.2 million people, of which 47.4 million passengers were transported to international destinations, and 68.8 million - to domestic ones. In 2019, the positive trend continues with a slowdown in growth.

In the ranking of internal air routes, the direction traditionally dominates MoscowSt. Petersburg-, in second place Moscow - closes Sochi the top three Moscow-Simferopol. Among international air routes, the most popular among Russian tourists was the direction to Turkey, in second place - in, Germany in third - in Thailand, then - in Italy and. China

2007-2017

An analysis of the Russian segment of air passenger traffic showed that it was more sensitive to the events taking place over this decade.

The Russian market, as well as the global one, sank during the 2008 crisis: growth rates decreased from 18.4% in 2007 to 10.7% in 2008. However, already in 2009, the drop in passenger traffic turned out to be much more significant than in the whole world: -9.4% in Russia against -4% in the world.

In 2010, the market grew by 26.3%, mainly due to economic recovery (GDP gained positive dynamics + 4.5% after -7.8% in 2009), due to deferred demand for tourism, as well as due to the entry into force of the federal program to subsidize air travel from the Far East. The program entered into force in 2009, but gained its power precisely in 2010, when 327 thousand people used the program. Later, Kaliningrad and other Russian cities were added to the program. In 2014, Crimea was included in the program.

Subsequently, in 2011-2013. the passenger air transportation market slowed down its growth rate to 12.6-15.5% per year. The main reason is the decline in economic growth. GDP from 7.8% in 2010 to 1.3% in 2013.

Significant problems began after the imposition of sanctions against Russia in 2014, as well as after the cancellation of all flights to Egyptian resorts from November 7, 2015. The maximum decrease in the number of passenger air transportation was achieved in 2016, when the decline was -3.8%. During these years, big changes took place: a decrease in real incomes of the population, a reorientation of tourist trips from external to internal.

In 2017, there was an explosive growth in the air transportation market - 18.6%. A record number of passengers were transported - 105.1 million people. Experts consider the reasons for this:

• Pent-up demand.
• Strengthening of the ruble (by 11% in euros and by 13% in dollars), which had a positive effect on international flights.
• An increase in visits to Russian resorts by Russians - Sochi and Crimea, both in summer and in winter for skiing.
• Increase in the share of flights by low-cost airlines by 30%. Decrease in prices for low-cost airlines in Russia by 7%. The reason is the refusal to carry luggage and food on board.
• Opening of the Turkish direction.

As for the forecasts for the development of the Russian segment of air passenger transportation in 2018, according to ACRA estimates, it will grow by 5.5% and amount to 110.8 million people. The main reasons:

• The opening of Turkey and the expected opening of Egypt will additionally increase passenger traffic by 1.9%, including through charter flights.
• The World Cup will give an increase in passenger traffic of about 1.3%.
• The opening of the airport in Simferopol for 6.5 million passengers per year will give an increase in tourist flow to Crimea by 20%.
• The opening of the new terminal "B" at Sheremetyevo Airport on May 3, 2018 for domestic airlines with a capacity of 20 million passengers per year.
• The growth and development of the low-budget transportation sector will help.
• The weakening of the ruble will help reduce international traffic in favor of domestic ones. So, since December 2017, the ruble has weakened relative to the euro by 7.7%. The weakening of the ruble will also have a positive effect on inbound tourism. Recently, the tourist flow has been especially growing from China. Moreover, foreign tourists can transfer to Russian airlines to save money, abandoning foreign ones. There will be no significant increase in ticket prices due to high competition among air carriers.
• GDP growth to 1.7%.
• Increase in real incomes of the population.
• Keeping the current unemployment rate.

If you look at the prospects for the development of the market until 2020, then ACRA experts do not see objective reasons for further rapid growth of the industry. It is noted that the growth will be 2.4% per year. The main factors cited by experts: the growth of wages and real incomes of the population is expected to range from 1-3%, the preservation of the current unemployment rate, a positive general economic background, as well as a decrease in interest rates on consumer loans.

Analysts at Uniteller (Uniteller Platform) The pre-processing settlement center is more optimistic in its forecasts for the Russian market and believes that in 2018-2020, annual growth may reach 2.7-3%. The reasons are the increase by the World Bank of the forecast for the growth of the Russian economy for 2018 from 1.4% to 1.7%, and until 2020 - to 1.8%. The Ministry of Economic Development predicts GDP growth by 2020 to 2.3%. The INP RAS expects real incomes of Russian residents to grow by 6% in 2018, by 3% in 2019 and by 3.7% in 2020. All this should contribute to an increase in the demand of the population for air travel.

See also

• Air cargo (Russian market)

Notes