Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot has begun selling tickets for flights to the United Arab Emirates from June 1, although a final decision on the actual resumption of services will be taken later, the airline’s chief executive said. The move marks a tentative step toward the restoration of one of the most heavily booked Russia-Middle East corridors.
The carrier opened sales from June 1, but the decision on resuming UAE flights would be made at a later stage, Aeroflot chief executive Sergei Alexandrovsky told TASS on April 28.
For trade buyers tracking GCC inbound recovery, the Aeroflot move is significant. Russian outbound to the UAE, particularly Dubai, has been one of the most resilient post-2022 leisure travel corridors, supported by visa-free access, family travel, second-home ownership and the relocation of Russian-origin business activity to the emirate.
The development follows a sequence of regulatory changes by Russian aviation authorities. Russian airspace regulator Rosaviatsia recently lifted its advisory on UAE flight ticket sales and removed restrictions on the use of Iranian airspace. Flights to Israel have been permitted between 07:00 and 01:00 Moscow time from April 16 to May 15.
Airspace across much of the Middle East was temporarily closed following the escalation of the regional conflict at the end of February.
For DMOs and inbound operators in the UAE, the resumption of full Russia-UAE air capacity is a meaningful upside. Russian arrivals to Dubai have traditionally been a high-spending leisure segment with strong shoulder-season and year-round demand. Other Russian carriers including S7 Airlines and Pobeda may follow Aeroflot’s lead in restarting sales.
Trade buyers should track:
- Aeroflot’s confirmation of actual operating dates and frequencies on Moscow-Dubai and other UAE routes.
- Reciprocal capacity additions by Emirates, Etihad Airways and flydubai.
- The pace of broader Russian aviation network recovery to other GCC destinations including Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah and Muscat.
- Any further movement on Iranian airspace use, which is critical to the efficiency of Russia-Gulf and Russia-South Asia routings.