Russian Airlines See Slight Dip in Domestic Travel, International Routes Hold Steady

Russia’s aviation sector is sending mixed signals this spring. According to data released Monday by the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), domestic airlines carried 30.8 million passengers between January and April — a 1.2% drop compared to the same period last year. The decline was driven entirely by domestic routes, which accounted for 22.61 million passengers. International travel, however, bucked the trend. Airlines reported 8.19 million passengers on overseas flights, up 1.8% year-on-year. The strongest growth came on routes to countries outside the Commonwealth of Independent States, where traffic rose 3.7% to 5.34 million passengers. Despite the overall dip, carriers are making better use of their planes. Seat occupancy climbed 1.2 percentage points to 89.5%, while passenger turnover — a measure of total distance flown — increased 1.9% to 83.95 billion passenger-kilometers. Rosaviatsia deputy head Alexei Buevich attributed the results to resilience in the face of external pressures. “Overall, our operational performance is comparable to the same period in 2025, and in some areas we’ve surpassed it — despite ongoing hostility from unfriendly states and the temporary airspace closures over the Middle East,” he said in a statement. The data suggests that while Russians are flying a bit less at home, demand for international travel remains steady, offering a cautious note of optimism for the country’s airlines.