Between May and August 2026, Russian airlines carried 39.5 million passengers, including 29.6 million passengers on domestic routes and 9.9 million – on international routes. Currently, the Russian transportation sector serves 37 foreign countries.
Passenger traffic in the summer of 2026 decreased by 7% compared to the same period last year: 42.6 million passengers were transported by Russian airlines from May to August 2025.
The dominant carrier Aeroflot Group accounts for 53.5% of the market share, as it carried 21 million passengers on its routes in the last four months. On average, Russian carriers have occupied 89.8% of the seats during the four months, with S7 Airlines leading the rankings with 95.6%, followed by Smartavia, which had 95.5%, and Pobeda with nearly 95% of seats occupied.
Over 53% of flights in Russia do not involve Moscow. Domestic flights dominate the passenger traffic market in the country. However, the trend of several airlines avoiding the Russian capital seems to be continuing, which might be due to the limited capacity of Moscow airports.
The Ministry of Economic Development has projected the total number of passengers carried by Russian airlines to amount to 108.5 million in 2026, which is 0.3% lower than in 2025. Limited access to and poor serviceability of foreign aircraft, as well as the closure of several airports in the south of Russia, will constrain the growth of passenger traffic in the country, particularly on domestic routes.
