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Passenger traffic of Russian airports down 75% by end of March

On March 27, Russia suspended all international regular and charter flights

MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. The passenger traffic of Russian airports in March decreased by 75% compared to last year, the International Airport Association said on Wednesday.

"Over the past day, the passenger traffic at the largest Russian airports dipped by another 5%. The industry completed March at the level of 75% (compared to March last year - TASS)," the statement said.

On March 27, Russia suspended all international regular and charter flights. Air carriers are allowed to only evacuate Russians home. However, the ban does not cover freight, postal, sanitary and humanitarian flights.

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. To date, more than 850,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 42,000 deaths have been reported.

So far, a total of 2,777 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 190 patients having recovered from the illness. The country’s latest data indicates 24 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public informed about the coronavirus situation.