Charter flight volumes in Russia were thought to have been in decline over the last two years, but leading company Air Charter Service is reporting signs of recovery, with a steady number of private jet bookings at its Moscow office recently.
Azat Mulgimov, managing director of ACS Russia, explained, “Over the 18 months to February of this year, we only saw three months where charter numbers rose compared with the same month the year before. Since then, however, we have had four months of year-on-year growth in 2016.
“We have seen the first quarter of continuous growth in terms of volumes of private jets booked by our Moscow office – in June, July and August this year, charter numbers rose by 11% compared with the same three months in 2015.
“So far in September, the market has been strong in the region too, so we are hoping that trend will continue. The relaunch and update of www.aircharter.ru has seen instant rewards and almost certainly contributed to the figure, with a noticeable rise in online enquires since we made the changes.
“It has been a tough few years for the Russian market and our offices have not been performing as well as our other global operations. By no means are we up to the levels of charters from three years ago, but we are optimistic that fortunes may finally be turning for the region.”
