Demand for foreign business trips among business representatives increased by 13%
In 2024, the demand for foreign business trips among representatives of Russian business increased by 13%, and their share of the total number of corporate trips reached 17%. This follows from the data of the Aeroclub company, which were reviewed by Izvestia on January 20.
Experts noted that despite inflationary expectations and weakening of the ruble, the average cost of air tickets remained practically unchanged, which contributed to the growth of business activity abroad.
The average cost of a ticket abroad in economy class amounted to Br43.5 thousand for a one-way flight, which allowed businesses to maintain the volume of international travel. At the same time, the average cost of a business class ticket rose by only 2%, to 197 thousand rubles.
"The stabilization of airfare prices was one of the positive factors that influenced the continued growth of business activity abroad. Businesses have been able to adapt to the changed conditions while maintaining a balance between costs and strategic priorities. We see that companies are not only returning to pre-crisis travel volumes, but are also betting on comfort for their employees - this is confirmed by the growing share of business class on international flights," said Yulia Lipatova, Managing Director of Aeroclub.
Business travelers in 2024 became 22% more likely to choose business class for foreign flights, and its share grew to 10%, exceeding the figures of 2019 and 2023 (9%).
At the same time, demand for travel to China grew by 119%, and the PRC's share of total overseas business travel increased to 15%. In second place is Kazakhstan, which also showed growth (+10%) and took 9% in the structure of international travel. In third place is Turkey: its share decreased from 10% in 2023 to 7% in 2024.
The bulk of foreign business trips last year was made by IT and telecom companies, which retained their leadership with a share of 27%. Representatives of the oil and gas industry and energy sector (the share increased to 12%). The third line is occupied by pharmaceutical companies with a share of 8%.
Earlier, on January 1, Russia began pilot sale of air tickets via the Internet for some categories of citizens participating in the program of preferential air travel. This was reported on December 16 on the website of the Russian government. The experiment will last until July 1, 2025. The success of the pilot project will simplify the procedure for purchasing tickets for beneficiaries, including the disabled, and reduce the time required to verify the reporting of air carriers to provide subsidies.
