MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Passenger traffic of airlines in 2026 is expected to remain at last year’s level, although growth cannot be ruled out, Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin said in an interview with TASS.
According to preliminary data from Rosaviatsiya, Russian air carriers transported about 108.5 mln passengers in 2025.
"More than 108 mln passengers were carried by air in 2025. Based on our forecasts, passenger traffic in 2026 will remain at the 2025 level, but we do not rule out growth driven by foreign carriers and the reopening of airports that are currently closed," the minister said.
Nikitin noted that there are certain constraints from the standpoint of Russian companies. "Our airlines have done tremendous work: they have learned to repair their aircraft in Russia, essentially creating entire maintenance facilities for tasks that previously required flying abroad. We have made a serious technological leap, but nevertheless, the fleet is not expanding. So, it would not be fair to speak of significant growth in air transportation," he said.
"We will certainly not return to a situation where, through the purchase of foreign fleet, the Russian fleet was not being produced. We will place our bet on domestically produced aircraft. However, for example, there is currently no Russian wide-body aircraft for long-haul flights in production, and it will definitely have to be purchased elsewhere," the minister added.
Nikitin noted that the ministry believes in the sector’s prospects and will not scale back the large-scale program to build and modernize airfields. Nikitin expressed confidence that the dynamics of air transportation "will ultimately be positive — perhaps not in 2026, but in 2027."
In addition, the minister noted that airlines are ready to purchase Russian-made aircraft and that "serious work on contracting is underway." "There will be no delays on our part: as soon as our colleagues begin producing them, we will be happy to purchase them," Nikitin added.