Transportation results for June and the first half of 2024 have been summed up
Rosaviatsia presented the six-month updated statistics on passenger traffic of Russian airlines, which RBC has reviewed. According to the publication, based on the results of the first six months of 2024 (January–June), passenger traffic increased by 7.6% compared to the same period in 2023, to more than 51 million passengers carried. At the same time, the airlines of the Aeroflot Group (the airline of the same name, Pobeda and Rossiya) took the first three lines in the rating of transportation of the largest airlines in June.
Photo: aeroflot.ru
Air traffic on international flights of Russian carriers increased by 23.2% (12.5 million passengers) in January-June, while on domestic flights it increased by only 3.4% (38.7 million). At the same time, the growth rate of passenger traffic in Russia in the first summer month slightly accelerated compared to May (plus 2.5% versus plus 1.7% in May).
According to data provided by the press service of PJSC Aeroflot, the volume of transportation of the Group's airlines in June increased by 19.9% compared to June last year and amounted to 5.2 million people. The passenger seat occupancy rate amounted to 88.9%, increasing by 3.5 percentage points year-on-year. In percentage terms for the first half of the year: the companies increased transportation by 21.4% to 25.4 million people, accounting for almost half of all transportation of Russian airlines during this period.
At the same time, as reported by RBC, “in June, S7 dropped to fourth place (passenger traffic decreased by 21.4% compared to June 2023) in the ranking of the largest airlines.
Ural Airlines rounds out the top five. But based on the results of the first six months of the year, S7 still ranks third in the rating (more than 6 million passengers carried, which is 17.4% less than in 2023). A decrease in transportation in January-June was also recorded by Smartavia (by 1.9%, to 1.78 million passengers carried), Red Wings (by 2.8%, to 1.18 million passengers), Yamal Airlines (minus 16.4%, to 574 thousand), Nordstar (minus 1.9%, to 559 thousand), Iraero (minus 7.1%, 489 thousand), Yakutia (minus 8.4%, to 275 thousand), Gazprom Avia (minus 2.2%) and some other smaller companies.»
Earlier, in early July, the head of Rosaviatsia Dmitry Yadrov said that the agency expects a decrease in passenger traffic by almost 7%. Passenger transportation may amount to 98.1 million people. Last year, airlines carried 105 million passengers (+10% compared to 2022).
«We have planned 98.1 million passengers in our comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry until 2030. According to the results of the first five months of this year, the passenger traffic of Russian airlines has grown by 8%, to 40.5 million people. But we are watching how the summer goes,» Yadrov told journalists.
Concerns about the reduction in transportation are related to the lack of access to certified support from the manufacturer of Pratt & Whitney engines, which are used in the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft (which make up about 40% of the S7 fleet), due to sanctions. Back in October last year, Kommersant reported that at that time, about 20% of S7's fleet was not flying, including 13 of 39 Airbus A320neo.
Experts believe that many forecasts, including those for passenger traffic, depend on how well a particular airline manages to resolve the issue of access to engines, electronic units, and other aircraft components that cannot yet be repaired in Russia. Moreover, the costs of maintaining airworthiness will continue to grow.