On Thursday, August 23, the Rosaviatsia working group on charter flight permits held its latest meeting. Only one airline was ordered to curtail its charter program in September, according to Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).
From July 15 to August 15, Russian Airlines operated 3,800 charter flights. The average delay rate was 31,000 flight delays. As a reminder, in the previous reporting period, the average charter flight delay rate across all airlines was 3,61,000 flight delays. Meanwhile, the average delay rate across all major charter airlines (Azur, NordWind, Ikar, Rossiya, RoyalFlight, and IFly) did not exceed 21,000 flight delays.
According to Dmitry Gorin, a member of the working group and CEO of the tour operator VipService, almost all airlines have received permits for September without restrictions. "The only exception is Yakutia Airlines. The carrier has been ordered to reduce its charter programs by 10%—but only on days when the airline has scheduled maintenance. These are four dates: September 1, 5, 8, and 12," the source told ATOR Bulletin. Therefore, the reduction will be virtually unnoticeable for consumers.
Russian airlines are expected to operate over 3,000 charter flights in the next reporting period. In particular, flights from the regions to Hainan (Sanya and Haikou airports) are expected to expand significantly.
Alrosa and Iraero are planning to operate flights to Hainan. Russian aviation authorities have granted the carriers permits to expand their programs. However, the status of slots from the Chinese side remains unclear. Final approvals are expected to be underway.
Source: trn-news.ru