Russia’s Aeroflot restarted twice-weekly flights to Delhi on Friday after two months. Russian airlines had stopped all international routes in March as Western lessors began seizing planes.
Delmos Aviation, which represents Aeroflot in India, said that the firm has assigned an Airbus 333 to run the route with a capacity of 293 seats. The plane landed at 8.20 a.m. IST in New Delhi on Friday before departing back to Moscow at 10.10 a.m.
The airline expects to see a big jump in passengers upon reactivating the route, with many Russian tourists looking to India to avoid the West’s severe financial sanctions applied after the special military operation in Ukraine.
The firm also expects a large increase in bilateral trade between the two countries.
“[The resumed flights] will help streamline the cargo movement. Because of the suspension, pharma companies were sending crucial supplies via longer routes. It was a time-consuming and expensive proposition for all,” explained Naveen Rao, Director of Delmos Aviation.
Alongside the suspension of Aeroflot flights in March, Air India was also forced to withdraw from the Moscow-Delhi route on 8 April after its insurance broker informed the firm that Russian territory was no longer covered.
As the route restarted, General Manager of Delmos Aviation Anish Khatri said that Aeroflot is open to accepting all special cargos, including dangerous good shipments.
Indian exporters expect an immediate jump of around $10 billion in FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) and processed food trade between the two nations.
Additional trade is also expected in the garments, footwear, and pharma sectors due to trade disruption between Russia and Europe, and between Russia and the US, which is estimated to be worth $5.8 billion. Indian exporters have claimed to be eying these new opportunities, stating that the void can “easily be taken over” by India.
India enjoys Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status with Russia, granting it trade preferences.