The geography of flights from Russia will expand this year by adding new destinations and increasing the number of departure cities. So, it will be possible to go to one of the most popular resorts in Vietnam Nha Trang from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and other cities. In total, 15 new holiday destinations will appear, Izvestia calculated based on data from travel services and airlines. Oman, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia are among the most anticipated. Tourists book vacations there without waiting for flight schedules or even the completion of negotiations on the opening of new flights — for some of them, demand has already doubled, according to the services.
How the geography of flights is changing
Tourists from Russia will have 15 additional air travel destinations, Izvestia estimates. The geography will expand both through direct flights from Russia to new, previously inaccessible countries, and by increasing the frequency of flights.
In 2025, direct flights from Russia to more than 30 countries are available, the Ostrovok online hotel and apartment booking service noted. The expansion of the flight program is primarily expected to Vietnam, said the head of international projects "Fly." and Lyubov Voronina, Managing Director of the Let's Fly tour operator.
As early as March, direct flights will connect Russia and the beach capital of Vietnam, Nha Trang resort, which previously had no direct flights. Flights are planned not only from Moscow, but also from Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and other cities. Vietnam is one of the 15 most popular foreign destinations in terms of bookings for 2025, and Nha Trang has become the most sought-after resort among users. The number of bookings in Nha Trang for 2025 is already twice as high as last year's figures.
Nha Trang, Vietnam
Vietnamese destinations such as Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City have become more popular with Russians, even despite rising prices for vacations there, Tutu added. The growing popularity of Nha Trang may be associated with the launch of direct flights, they believe.
The flight program to Cam Ranh Airport near Nha Trang is currently being considered from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, some other cities in Siberia, as well as the Far East, the press service of AZUR air confirmed to Izvestia.
— While the exact schedule is still being formed, we are negotiating with tour operators, we are looking at which route network will be the most effective and in demand among tourists," they noted.
The opening of direct flights to Nha Trang will help make this destination more accessible, said Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT).
— Although connecting transit flights to this country were very popular, he stressed.
Another country where direct flights to new destinations are appearing for Russians is China, including the resort island of Hainan. In March, direct flights will connect Sanya Airport on Hainan Island with Kazan, Ufa and St. Petersburg. In addition, the frequency of flights from Krasnoyarsk will increase to four per week.
An increase in the number of bookings is observed in China by 20% compared to 2024, while the dynamics of bookings in Sanya shows a threefold increase.
Tunisia and Abkhazia
Dmitry Gorin called the expansion of the flight program to Tunisia expected.
— Aboutthe volume of transportation will be supplemented by new direct flights of one of the Russian tour operators, he stressed.
Direct flights to Tunisia from St. Petersburg are expected in April. Residents of the Northern capital will have access to the cities of Hammamet and Monastir. It will also be possible to fly to Monastir from Moscow.
— The destination promises to become very attractive, because before the pandemic, holidays in Tunisia were considered one of the most popular among Russians, booking services predict.
It is planned to open a restored airport in Abkhazia this year: it is expected that in May direct flights will connect Moscow and Sukhumi for the first time after a 30-year hiatus, the participants of the tourism industry added. In the future, flights may appear to other cities of Russia. The destination is among the ten most popular, and the number of bookings in the resort of Pitsunda has doubled compared to 2024.
Sukhumi Airport, Abkhazia
Now tourists get to the Abkhaz resorts by transfer from Sochi, the press service of the National Tour Operator Alean noted.
— The opening of the airport in Sukhum, which is scheduled for May, will increase the transport accessibility of the republic. In the future, this should have a positive impact on the tourist flow, they believe. — Plus, for tourists, it is more convenient to pass through passport control at airports than at the land border
However, it is still difficult to say how much passenger traffic the airport will be able to handle, how many flights and from which regions will be included in the flight program, the press service of the tour operator noted.
It is also planned to open new flights between Russian cities and Muscat, the capital of Oman, this year. The number of bookings in Oman is already 80% ahead of last year's figures.
Other destinations where the number of flights from Russia will increase include Armenia, Thailand, and Turkey. Negotiations are also underway to launch direct flights from Russia to Brazil, Malaysia and Pakistan. In addition, flights between Russia and Saudi Arabia are expected to appear this year, and the opening of an air route from Vladivostok to Wonsan (North Korea) is being discussed.
— We are really looking forward to direct flights to Saudi Arabia. This is even more significant for inbound tourism. There are still no direct flights, and the tourist interest in Russia from Saudi citizens is already noticeable in terms of last year's figures," Dmitry Gorin explained.
According to him, Malaysia and Zanzibar are also among the expected destinations for expanding the geography of flights from Russia, which are under discussion.
— In order to expand the geography, it is necessary to have a fleet and appropriate agreements between the countries that would guarantee the regularity of flights, the expert explained.
Where to fly with transfers
Last year, the number of direct flights was actively growing in several directions at once, the Kupibilet service added. Thus, the number of flights to Vietnam increased most rapidly (by 583%), as well as to Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, China and Ethiopia.
In 2025, the trend will continue — it is expected that there will be about 60% more flights, the service predicts. At the same time, an increase of about 349% is expected for Vietnam and 288% for Mongolia, said Andrey Maslak, the company's product director.
— This is not just an increase in tourist flows, but a symptom of widespread changes in the global aviation industry and the transformation of Russians' travel preferences," he explained. — We see a diversification of routes, an increase in interest in several directions and an increase in competition.
There has already been a noticeable increase in interest in holidays abroad, said Daria Kochetkova, managing Director of the Ostrov service.
— The number of hotel bookings already exceeds the figures for the same period in 2024 by 10%. I am sure that the improvement of transport accessibility and the appearance of new flights will be an important driver for the further growth of outbound tourism," she said.
Two or three years ago, tourists, as a rule, preferred mass destinations, such as Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand, Svetlana Kuzmina noted. Now many people are trying to discover other countries for themselves.
In the absence of direct flights, when planning a trip, tourists are willing to consider destinations with connecting options, added the head of the Let's Fly Online project (included in "Fly.") Svetlana Kuzmina.
— For example, Turkey and the UAE are the main hubs for connecting flights. There are daily flights to Istanbul and Dubai from Moscow, which opens up the opportunity to get to countries with which we do not have direct flights," she added.
As a rule, a transfer allows you to reduce the cost of air tickets and, if the connecting time is long enough, you can see the country and local locations, she noted. Also, for long-term connections, many airlines provide accommodation if the ticket is issued in a single package from one air carrier. In this case, you don't even need to pay extra for the hotel.
— Thanks to connecting flights, every year the range of countries where you can go on vacation from Russia traditionally increases by about 20%, she estimated.
Tourists are now much less deterred by the availability of transfers than a couple of years ago, Dmitry Gorin added. In particular, they are actively chosen for flights to European countries. The stabilization of the requirements for obtaining a Schengen visa, as well as the strengthening of the ruble exchange rate and the promotion of early bookings lead to the fact that this year an increase in trips in this direction is predicted and, he stressed.
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