Aeroflot ready to discuss resuming flights to U.S. if authorities agree - CEO

ST. PETERSBURG. June 20 (Interfax) - Aeroflot is ready to discuss resuming flights to the United States if the two countries can reach an agreement, the Russian flag carrier's CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky told reporters at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"If they so decide, then we are ready," he said.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said on Thursday that he hoped direct flights between Russia and the United States would resume before the end of this year. Dmitriev held a business breakfast with members of the American Chamber of Commerce on the SPIEF sidelines. "We see a lot of interest, including from the U.S., in resuming direct flights to Russia and we believe that St. Petersburg can be one such hub for flights to the United States," he said.

Direct flights between Russia and the United States came to an end in February 2022 after the start of a special military operation in Ukraine. In recent years, only Russia's Aeroflot operated scheduled flights, flying from Moscow to four destinations: New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington.