MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Russian airlines carried 49.15 million passengers in the first half of 2026, roughly matching the 50.8 million travelers recorded in the same period last year, the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced.

"Over the first six months of 2026, Russian carriers transported 49.15 million passengers, including 36.34 million people on domestic flights. International passenger traffic stood at 12.81 million, edging up 0.6% year-on-year," the regulator said.

The agency clarified that carriers served 2.42 million passengers on international routes in June, up 1.2% against June 2025. Flights between Russia and non-CIS countries carried 8.22 million passengers in the first six months, marking a 1.6% increase, while June volumes alone rose 2.8% to 1.54 million.

Meanwhile, Russian airports handled 97.16 million passengers in the January-June period. International flights accounted for 24.61 million passengers, a 6% increase year-on-year.

In January-June, passenger turnover (revenue passenger kilometers) reached 131.59 billion passenger-kilometers, remaining flat compared to the same period of 2025. The passenger load factor gained 0.7 percentage points (p.p.) to hit 89.3%.

Alexey Buevich, Deputy Head of Rosaviatsiya, noted that domestic destinations remain the most sought-after, prompting airlines to add capacity and launch new routes for the peak holiday season. "Passenger interest in international travel also persists. To meet this demand, Rosaviatsiya, in coordination with the Transport Ministry, continues to explore options to expand the flight geography," he added.