MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. The number of countries one can take direct flights to from Russia increased by 25% in comparison with 2022, reaching 40 by the end of 2023, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported.

"The number of countries with which Russia has direct flights increased by a quarter as of the end of 2023 in comparison with December 2022. Russian and foreign airlines plan to operate direct flights from the Russian Federation to 40 countries in 2024. A year earlier, there were only 32 countries on this list," the statement says.

In particular, Russians can travel direct to Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Georgia, Egypt, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Qatar, China, Cuba, to Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, the Maldives, Morocco, Mongolia, Myanmar, the UAE, Oman, the Seychelles, Serbia, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia, ATOR reports.

As the association noted, the launch of direct flights to Georgia was especially notable. Flights to Tbilisi and Batumi are now available from a dozen Russian cities. "Vietnam, Hong Kong and Hainan are also of interest to tourists. And in general, the full opening of China has significantly expanded the geography of flights in terms of the number of destinations. In addition, direct flights between Moscow and Morocco were restored in 2023," ATOR recalled.

According to the association, Russia has the most extensive air connections with Turkey and Tajikistan (up to 30 pairs of cities are connected by direct flights), with Thailand and Kyrgyzstan (up to 25) with Kazakhstan, the UAE and China (up to 20).

The most popular international destination is Moscow-Istanbul: in winter there are approximately 120 flights weekly. The second most popular route is Moscow-Dubai - about 116 flights weekly, the third one is Moscow-Minsk (up to 99 weekly flights).