Aurora Airlines to launch regular flights between Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Shanghai on July 2

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK. May 26 (Interfax) - Aurora Airlines will begin operating regular direct flights between Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Shanghai (China), one of the world's largest cities, starting July 2, the airline's press service said on Tuesday.

"In the summer schedule, flights from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Shanghai will operate from July 2, 2026, once a week. Flights will be operated on an A319 aircraft. One-way travel time will be 4 hours 20 minutes," the press service said.

Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk will take place on Thursdays at 23:55 and arrival in Shanghai will be at 01:15 on Fridays. The return flight will be on Fridays at 02:15, with arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at 09:15 (all times are local).

Shanghai International Airport is one of the largest aviation hubs in Southeast Asia, which makes it possible to plan onward travel to South Korea, Japan, and around the world, the press service said.

"Aurora Airlines currently operates flights to China from Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Shanghai flight will become the ninth route in the Chinese direction," it said.

As reported, international flights from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk currently operate to the Chinese cities of Harbin (resumed in summer 2023 after a three-year hiatus) and Beijing (since summer 2024). Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, flights from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport operated to six cities in the Asia-Pacific region, including charter tourist flights.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport has held international status since 1990 and is certified for the arrival and departure of more than 30 types of aircraft. It is the base airport for Aurora Airlines. Eight carriers operate at the airport, flying to ten Russian cities and nine locations in the Sakhalin region. As reported, the airport served 1.54 million passengers in 2025, up 0.2% compared to the previous year.

Aurora is the largest airline in the Far East. The company's fleet consists of 19 aircraft - eight medium-haul Airbus A319s, the same number of DHC-8s and three intra-regional DHC-6s. In 2021, a unified Far Eastern airline was established on the basis of Aurora, integrating the regional carriers Khabarovsk Airlines (Khabarovsk Territory), Yakutia and Polar Airlines (both based in Yakutia), Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise (Kamchatka Territory), and ChukotAvia (Chukotka Autonomous District).