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Passenger air service to drop by 53% in Russia in 2020

According to the country’s social and economic development outlook for 2021 and the planned period of 2022 and 2023, it will return to growth at the global level and gain 5% in 2023

© Sergey Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Passenger air service is expected to plunge by 53% in Russia in 2020 to 60 mln people, after which it will return to growth at the global level and gain 5% in 2023, according to the country’s social and economic development outlook for 2021 and the planned period of 2022 and 2023 presented by the Economic Development Ministry.

"Around 60 mln passengers are expected to be carried in 2020 (-53.2%)," according to the outlook. The decrease is due to measures responding to the coronavirus spread, the ministry explained.

"After the decrease of air service and passenger turnover by more than 50% in 2020 compared with 2019 growth at the average global level is expected in the projected period," the document said.

In 2019, Russian airlines carried 128 mln people. According to the outlook, the number of carried passengers will rise by 5.2% in 2023 compared with 2019 to 134.8 mln people.

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