Russian airlines increase passenger traffic just 0.3% in Jan due to drop on internal flights

MOSCOW. Feb 27 (Interfax) - Russian airlines carried 7.85 million passengers in January, up just 0.3% year-on-year, according to Federal Air Transport Agency data analyzed by Interfax.

These included 5.8 million on internal flights, down 1.4%, and just over 2 million on international flights, up 6%.

Revenue passenger kilometers grew 2.2% year-on-year in January to 20.95 billion RPKs.

Last year, airlines carried 111.7 million passengers, up 6% from 2023, including 84.6 million on internal fights, up 2%, and 27 million on international flights, up 20.1%. Revenue passenger kilometers rose 8.1% to 286.1 billion RPKs.

The Federal Air Transport Agency forecasts airlines will carry 109.7 million passengers this year, implying a drop of nearly 2%, but this is "the lowest bar we are setting for ourselves," its head, Dmitry Yadrov, has said.