Domestic strength offsets international slide in LCC Pobeda’s 2025 results

:: Vnukovo airport

Russia’s leading low-cost carrier, Pobeda Airlines (a subsidiary of the Aeroflot group), has reported its 2025 operational results, showcasing overall slight growth tempered by a softening in international demand and flight load factors.

For the full year 2025, Pobeda carried 13.8 million passengers, a 0.7% increase over its 2024 performance. This result marks the airline’s second-best annual traffic figure in its 11-year history, trailing only the pre-crisis high of 14.4 million passengers achieved in 2021. The budget carrier maintains its firm position as the second-largest airline in the Russian market, consistently ranking between flag carrier Aeroflot (29.5 million passengers) and the privately-owned S7 Airlines (12.8 million).

Domestic network remains the powerhouse

The airline’s core strength continues to be its domestic operation. Passenger numbers on Pobeda’s intra-Russia routes grew by 1.7% year-on-year, with the carrier serving over 11.8 million travelers across the country. This resilient domestic performance has been a key stabilizer for the airline’s overall traffic.

International traffic experiences a dip

In contrast to the domestic growth, Pobeda’s international segment saw a contraction. Passenger volume on cross-border routes declined by 4% in 2025, falling to 1.9 million travelers. This pullback contributed to a slight easing in the airline’s remarkable operational efficiency metrics.

Near-record load factors ease slightly

Pobeda’s renowned high aircraft utilization saw a marginal adjustment. The average flight load factor for the year stood at 94.8%, a figure that, while exceptionally strong, is slightly below the record 95.1% set in 2024.

Network expansion

Network development in 2025 was measured. The airline launched only one entirely new route: a service connecting Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport (VKO) with Fergana in Uzbekistan. The most significant network development followed the September opening of the new Krasnodar International Airport. Pobeda promptly restored flights to the southern hub from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg, and also inaugurated a new international connection from Krasnodar to Istanbul, Turkey.