The Federal Air Transport Agency has published on its website another order on the admission of carriers to perform international scheduled flights. Most of the permits were issued for Middle Eastern routes.
Red Wings will be able to fly to Saudi Arabia: to Jeddah airport – from Kazan, Sochi, Ufa and Mineralnye Vody, to Riyadh – from Moscow, Sochi, Grozny, Mineralnye Vody and Ufa. The same airline has been granted access to Bahrain (Manama) from the Russian capital, Sochi, Grozny and Makhachkala. The third Middle Eastern country is Kuwait, where Ural Airlines will be able to send planes from Makhachkala.
Judging by the geography of routes from Russian cities to Saudi Arabia, carriers, when requesting permits, rely primarily on passengers – Muslim pilgrims. However, tour operators also have some interest in the direction. “The demand from tourists is still small, of course. They go mainly on sightseeing tours,” market participants say. However, by April 2025, it is planned to open the first hotels in Saudi Arabia at a large seaside resort under construction. A little later, another resort on the Red Sea should be built. Therefore, flights have a long-term prospect. Currently, there is no direct air service between Russia and Saudi Arabia, you can only get there with connections. Our compatriots need a visa to enter the country.
As for Bahrain, Gulf Air operates flights between the capital of this state, Manama and Moscow. The route is popular with some Russian tourists primarily as a connecting route – for flights to Southeast Asia and other southern destinations. The appearance of an airline from the Russian Federation on the line would create competition and, perhaps, contribute to some reduction in air ticket prices.
The Federal Air Transport Agency also issued permits for India. Ural Airlines will be able to fly from St. Petersburg and Sochi to New Delhi. Tour operators, of course, are not so much interested in flights to the Indian capital as in the state of Goa (Dabolim airport), since that is where tourists go for a beach holiday. The route to New Delhi is more designed for fans of sightseeing tours, and partly for business travelers.
Recall that the permits of the Federal Air Transport Agency only give airlines the right to operate flights. The decision on flights is made by the airlines themselves. In addition, before embarking on a route, carriers still have to coordinate slots with airports.
Earlier, we wrote that the Federal Air Transport Agency did not approve Ural Airlines’ application for admissions to Dubai (UAE) from a number of Russian cities.
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