MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Russia is ready to discuss expanding the geographical range of flight destinations for Russian and Chinese airlines, Deputy Economic Development Minister Dmitry Volvach announced after a two-day working trip to China.

"It is clear that increasing tourist flows and intensifying business connections will require an increase in the number of flights, including charter air transportation," Volvach said, as quoted by his ministry’s press service. "The Russian side is ready to discuss further expansion of the geography of flights by Russian and Chinese airlines within the framework of consultations with civil aviation authorities scheduled for September of this year."

Currently, five Russian airlines operate 13 routes, flying from Moscow, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk and Yakutsk to destinations in China, with a total frequency of 32 flights per week.

On the Chinese side, there are 45 direct flights to Russian destinations operating weekly.