Russian airlines’ monthly traffic stabilizes at near pre-crisis level

(SIP)

In September 2021 Russian airlines served collectively 12.3 million passengers, mere 4 per cent short of September 2019 figures, preliminary data published by Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsiya reveals. For two consecutive months airlines’ operational performance has stayed almost level with pre-crisis figures. The RPKs and financial performance, however, are lagging behind traffic figures due to depressed international markets. September’s RPKs are 13 per cent below the norm, at 27.8 billion.

The ranking of the country’s five largest airlines has remained without change, and their recovery rates are largely in line with the previous months. Market leader Aeroflot carried 2.3 million passengers in September, its privately-owned rival S7 Airlines – 1.7 million. Aeroflot’s LCC subsidiary Pobeda served 1.4 million passengers, its sister airline Rossiya as well as private Ural Airlines carried 1.1 million passengers each.

RUSSIA’S TOP-5 AIRLINES’ SEPTEMBER TRAFFIC (COMPARED TO SEPTEMBER 2019)

1. (1) Aeroflot                2.3 mln pax    –29.3%
2. (2) S7 Airlines           1.7 mln pax    –2.2%
3. (5) Pobeda                 1.4 mln pax   +45.0%
4. (3) Rossiya                 1.1 mln pax   –15.4%
5. (4) Ural Airlines        1.1 mln pax    +10.0%

In total, from January through September 2021 Russian airlines carried 83.5 million passengers, up 59 per cent on the same months of 2020, when air travel was crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, it is 15.7 per cent short of the same period of 2019. RPKs of 179 billion were up 49 per cent year-on-year, but 27.7 per cent below the pre-pandemic norm.