Amid pandemic, Murmansk gets new flights throughout Russia

Domestic travel by the Aeroflot Group was up 19,4% year on year in March, a number rather unique for the global aviation industry taking into consideration that March 2020 was before the big red alarm bell was triggered for COVID-19 in Russia. Additional to the national flag carrier, the Aeroflot Group includes the airlines Rossiya, Aurora and Pobeda.

Growth in passengers comes as domestic tourism got a boost after borders were closed. Murmansk is one of the regions that see growth in number of Russian tourists.

Unlike previous years, passengers now have a wide selection of direct domestic routes, avoiding connecting flights via the hubs in Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Nordwind Airlines this week started to fly directly to Kazan, the regional capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. The route is operated twice a week with an Embraer E-Jet 190.

Another route launched this Wednesday by the same airline is Murmansk-Nizhny Novgorod, also that twice a week.

Additional to the above mentioned, there are this spring direct flights from Murmansk to Arkhangelsk, Anapa, Mineralnye Vody, Cherepovets, Chelyabinsk, Krasnodar, Sochi, Simferpol, Rostov-na-Don, Kaliningrad. Most flights, however, are still to Moscow and St. Petersburg with 3 to 4 flights daily.