Transport Ministry expects Russian airlines' passenger traffic to remain at 2025 level - minister

MOSCOW. March 13 (Interfax) - The Transport Ministry expects the passenger traffic of Russian airlines to remain at last year's level in 2026, Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said in an interview with Naila Asker-zade on the Vesti program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.

"Last year, we carried 2.5% fewer passengers than in 2024. We expect that this year will be approximately at the level of 2025," Nikitin said.

The forecast is primarily related to the closed airports in the south of Russia and the "Carpet" (airspace restriction) regime, which is periodically introduced at operating airports, he said.

"Nevertheless, we see demand for air travel among our passengers, and our airlines are determined to satisfy it to the maximum extent possible. There is no critical decline. Planes are filling up, people are flying. God willing, we will be able to gradually increase our passenger traffic," he said.

The passenger traffic of Russian airlines is forecast at 110.4 million people in 2026, the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Dmitry Yadrov, said in January. In 2025, they carried 108.9 million passengers (-2.5% year-on-year).