Aeroflot named leading carrier of foreign tourists to Sanya

:: Aeroflot

Aeroflot has emerged as the leading carrier of foreign tourists to China’s premier resort, Sanya (Hainan Island), for the year 2025. In recognition of this milestone, Hainan Airport Group Co. Ltd.—the state-owned operator of 11 PRC airports—presented the airline with the International Route Performance Star Award during its annual year-end assembly in Sanya.

Aeroflot achieved its high passenger traffic figures through a significant expansion of its direct flight program to Sanya from various Russian regions, turning this destination into one of the most accessible within a two-year period.

Aeroflot first launched flights from Moscow to Sanya in December 2023. Over the following two years, the airline increased the frequency of flights from the Russian capital while also began developing a flight program to the Chinese resort from other cities across the country.

In the current winter schedule, Aeroflot operates direct flights to Sanya from nine cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Ufa, and Khabarovsk.

In total, during 2025, Aeroflot Group carried 456,000 passengers on flights between Russian cities and the Chinese resort, which is more than double the figure for 2024.

Depending on the route, Aeroflot utilizes Airbus A330 widebody and Boeing 737-800 narrowbody aircraft; all feature a two-class configuration.

Due in no small part to the development of Aeroflot’s flight program, the city of Sanya and Hainan Island as a whole became key overseas destinations for Russians in 2025. According to data from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) and the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau, tourist flow from Russia set a new historical record. In total, approximately 505,300 Russian tourists visited Hainan last year, a 20.3% increase over 2024. The share of Russians accounted for more than one-third of all foreign tourists on the island.

The introduction of a 30-day visa-free regime for Russian citizens by China in September, 2025, served as a catalyst for demand. For 2026, Hainan authorities project a growth in tourist flow from the Russian Federation of at least another 30%.

In addition to Sanya, Aeroflot continues to increase the number of its own flights to other Chinese cities. Flights from Moscow to Beijing (starting February 3) and Guangzhou (starting March 4) are becoming daily operations. Since last October, the airline also increased the frequency of flights between Moscow and Shanghai from 5 to 7 per week.

It is expected that the new frequencies will be in high demand among tourists and business travelers from Russia and the PRC.

In the winter schedule, Aeroflot performs its own regular flights to five destinations in China from the Russian capital: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Sanya. The Aeroflot Group also implements a regional flight program: to Beijing from Krasnoyarsk; to Shanghai from Vladivostok; and to Harbin from Vladivostok and Krasnoyarsk.