Aeroflot launching 14 additional weekly flights between Russia and Phuket

Less than two weeks after the return of Russian airlines to Phuket, Aeroflot has announced an expansion of direct flights to the island. The main airline in Russia said yesterday that there will be 14 more flights a week between Russia and Phuket.

The precise start date of these additional flights has not yet been established, but the expansion will involve the addition of a third daily flight between Moscow and Phuket, bringing the total number of weekly flights between the two cities to 14. Aeroflot will also introduce twice-weekly flights from the third-largest city in Russia, Novosibirsk, as well as the port city of Vladivostock in the far east. The airline will also launch three weekly flights from Siberia's second-largest city, Krasnoyarsk, to serve its population of over one million.

The Russian Consulate in Phuket announced the updated flight schedule through social media on Wednesday, according to The Phuket News. They indicated that flights would begin this month, but no specific dates were provided.

"As part of its winter schedule, Aeroflot is boosting the number of regular passenger flights to Phuket. The airline plans to increase its flight schedule this month to include [additional flights from Russian areas].

Beginning this month, the additional flights from Russia will be added to the existing flight schedule. In addition to Aeroflot's daily flights, Ikar Airlines flies from Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow to Phuket on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday each week. Siberia Airlines takes off on Thursdays from Irkutsk in Siberia and on Mondays from Vladivostok and Novosibirsk.

The increase in flights has paved the way for a surge in Russian visitors to Phuket, who have quickly surpassed Indian tourists as the majority population. Between May and September, the average monthly number of Russian tourists was between 3,200 and 4,200. This figure grew to 23,089 last month.

Russia has surpassed all other tourism numbers in Phuket so far this month. Russians amounted to twice the number of travellers from India, the second largest group, and tripled the number of arrivals from Australia, the third largest demography. A quarter of the total 83,428 overseas visitors to the island were Russians.