The Federal Air Transport Agency reported a notable rise in passenger traffic for Russian airlines during the New Year holidays, with numbers surpassing 2.26 million travelers and an 11.3 percent increase over the previous year. This assessment came from the agency’s press office.
According to the agency, from January 1 to January 8, 2023, more than 2.26 million passengers flew with Russian airlines, marking an 11.3 percent uplift in air traffic compared with the same period a year earlier, as stated by the agency’s press service.
Operational planning during the period accounted for diverse weather patterns across the country, including heavy snowfall, the onset of freezing rain, and unusually low temperatures. Airlines and airports implemented timely optimization measures to maintain normal operations and engaged additional equipment and engineering staff to support capacity and safety requirements.
There was a report from Advance Passenger that a Perm flight encountered ice on the runway and subsequently crashed into a snowdrift while attempting to take off. The event underscores the ongoing challenges posed by winter weather to aviation safety and the importance of robust ground and flight operations planning. Attribution: Federal Air Transport Agency and related safety reporting.