The cancellation of Rossiya flights to Beijing is not related to sanctions

The cancellation of Rossiya flights to Beijing from three cities in the Far East is not related to sanctions: the airline did not provide the entire package of documents. While passengers are being transported by Aeroflot and Aurora. Rossiya expects to resume flights in the near future. But Kommersant’s interlocutors in the industry note that on average it takes several months to obtain airport permits in China. The Ministry of Transport joined the negotiations. Experts note that there will be no fleet shortage: passenger traffic to China has just begun to recover.

The next meeting with the Chinese aviation authorities on the situation with Rossiya Airlines flights will take place on December 25, industry sources told Kommersant: On December 20, it became known that the airline was forced to cancel flights from Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk to Beijing due to the lack of necessary documents. An interlocutor close to the Ministry of Transport emphasizes that the situation is caused by “bureaucratic reasons” – the full package of documents was not submitted on time. The Ministry of Transport confirmed that they are negotiating with Chinese regulators, adding that the Aeroflot group aircraft accredited by the Chinese aviation authorities are sufficient to transport Rossiya passengers. Aeroflot reported that they are negotiating the possibility of operating one-time flights until Rossiya receives all the necessary permits.

Rossiya expects to receive them in the near future, the carrier’s press service told Kommersant. The airline only managed to obtain “operational permission”; flights were supposed to start on December 17. The administration of Beijing Daxing Airport notified the airline of the refusal to accept flights until additional requirements are met.

Several Kommersant interlocutors in the industry doubt that the carrier will have time to complete all the necessary approvals in less than a few months. However, Rossiya itself indicated that it began the authorization process back in March.

For now, tickets for direct Rossiya flights to Harbin from Vladivostok and Krasnoyarsk (on December 24), as well as Irkutsk (on December 30), are available for sale on the Aeroflot website. The price of a ticket from Vladivostok is from 40 thousand rubles. one way, from Krasnoyarsk – from 8.5 thousand rubles. Flights, like those to Beijing, are planned on the SJ-100. There are no direct flights to Beijing from Irkutsk on the Aeroflot website. S7 began flying there in March: tickets for December 29 are available from 29 thousand rubles. Aurora flies from Vladivostok to Beijing: tickets without luggage for December 23, 25 and 30 at the time of publication cost from 173.5 thousand rubles. (“Economy Light” tariff). From Krasnoyarsk they offer to get there by flights via Moscow, from where Aeroflot itself flies.

According to the Vladivostok airport schedule, you can also get to China via Dalian on Hainan Airlines flights. The same carrier will resume flights from Irkutsk to Beijing from December 27. The Emelyanovo airport schedule also includes Rossiya flights from Krasnoyarsk to Hainan from the end of January. IrAero flies from Irkutsk to Harbin. In addition to the above, seven Chinese airlines fly from Shanghai and Chengdu to the airports of Moscow and St. Petersburg, notes the head of the Association of Air Transport Agencies, Dmitry Gorin.

In any case, there is no shortage of transport capacity between the countries, he adds: an increase in the tourist flow is expected from the beginning of the spring-summer navigation.

Although additional traffic will be provided in winter by Aeroflot flights to Hainan Island, which will resume on December 27.

Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Maya Lomidze suggests that a total of 200–400 thousand Russians will travel to China this year. Before the pandemic, the flow was much higher – about 1.5 million people per year. Ms. Lomidze explains that approximately half of the trips to China are now made by business travelers, the rest by classic tourists. Their flow began to grow in September after the resumption of visa-free group exchanges. Rossiya flights, according to Maya Lomidze, played a significant role in terms of organizing trips to China; now their future fate is not completely clear to the market.

According to OneTwoTrip, China is the 12th most popular New Year’s holiday destination with a 3.2% share. The average cost of a one-way flight over the year decreased by two and a half times, to 37.5 thousand rubles, OneTwoTrip added. In the structure of Yandex Travel bookings, China ranks 8th, accounting for 3% of bookings. The average bill for a round trip flight during the holidays is 80 thousand rubles.

Aigul Abdullina, Alexandra Mertsalova