SINGAPORE, 18 May 2022: As the traditional routes and hubs for air travel from Russia close due to sanctions, alternatives are emerging, according to the latest data from ForwardKeys.
Responding to enquiries about the changing profile of travel from Russia in the light of sanctions, ForwardKeys VP insights Olivier Ponti commented: “With many routes to and from Russia effectively closed, owing to the imposition of sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine, we are seeing air travel via Serbia, Turkey and the UAE surge by over 200% on pre-pandemic levels.
“Looking at tickets issued between 28 February (when sanctions were put in place) and 8 March (the latest available data), the top hubs for people travelling from Russia to Europe were via Turkey, Serbia and UAE.”
Transit hubs for Russian travellers
Via Turkey: The final destination countries in Europe were Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain and Greece.
Via Serbia: The final destinations were Montenegro, Cyprus, France, Switzerland and Italy
Via UAE: Final destinations were Cyprus, Germany, the UK, Italy and France.
Turkey and the UAE also served as hubs to connect Russia with the USA and some Asian destinations.
Ponti noted: “Looking at scheduled flight capacity before the imposition of sanctions (during the week 21 February) compared to the latest available data (during the week 7 March), there has been a 50% increase from Russia to Serbia a 12% increase to Turkey and a 5% increase to the UAE.”
(Source: ForwardKeys)
