Russia may partially resume flights abroad in the third quarter

Russia can partially resume international flights with some countries already in the third quarter of 2020. This decision will depend on the epidemiological situation, said Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

“We are very worried about the situation with the prospects of opening international travels. And ATOR and I are holding consultations on this issue with the Ministry of Economic Development and Rostourism. As the borders open, as the situation with the epidemic improves, tourism will gradually recover," he stressed.

“According to colleagues from the aviation industry, they expect a phased, gradual, maybe not for all countries, restoration of international traffic in the third quarter. When it will be exactly - July, August or September - it is not clear. And this uncertainty, of course, obstruct to plan the activities of tour operators," he added.

The expert underlined that the company “VIP Service holding” informed about a 97% drop in air ticket sales in April.

“In May, we see airline sales at the level of 12% of the usual, and if we talk about June, it will increase to 25-30%. The season is difficult and unprecedented. Airplanes fly with a load of 30-35% and, probably, taking into account such low demand, the load will not be more than 50% in the coming months," he said.

Director General of Ural Airlines Sergey Skuratov said that air traffic with foreign countries may gradually begin to recover in August-September.