Modest growth

The Russian air transport sector continues to grow faster than those in Europe or the USA. However, in absolute figures, the performance of Russian carriers remains considerably lower. In the first six months of 2013, Russian airlines carried 37.4 million passengers, or 17.7% up year-on-year from 2012. Nevertheless despite — and, in a sense, even due to the growing passenger numbers, the sector is failing to resolve a number of chronic problems.

"Such rapid development is inevitably accompanied by new challenges," says Deputy Transport Minister Valery Okulov. "The sector’s existing problems get exacerbated and lead to shortages in certain areas. The most pressing shortages are those of pilots (primarily captains) and aircraft of all sizes. Another problem is that the airport infrastructure requires renovation."

In addition, international passenger traffic continues to outstrip domestic traffic in Russia. In the first six months of this year, Russian airlines carried 20.14 million passengers internationally, or 23.8% up year-on-year. Over the same period, domestic passenger figures grew 10.1% to 17.3 million.