OREANDA-NEWS. Pulkovo Airport’s passenger traffic amounted to 6,089,962 people in the first half of 2015, a number 4.4% less than in the same period of 2014.

Domestic passenger traffic increased by 12.9% during the last six months of the current year, as compared to the same period of the previous year, and amounted to 3,581,705 serviced.

International passenger traffic decreased by 21.5% during the first half of 2015, as compared to January-June of 2014, and amounted to 2,508,257 serviced.

The number of take-off and landing operations decreased by 2.7% during the first six months of 2015 as compared to the same period of 2014, and amounted to 67,081 operations. The maximum take-off weight handled amounted to 2,312,639 tons, a figure 2.8% less than in the same period of 2014.

In June of 2015, Pulkovo Airport serviced 1,487,714 passengers, a number 8.5% less than in June of the previous year.

Domestic passenger traffic increased by 7.5% in June 2015, as compared to June 2014, and amounted to 804,161 people.

International passenger traffic decreased by 22.2% in June 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014 and amounted to 683,553 people.

The number of takeoff and landing operations decreased by 3.7% in June 2015 as compared to June 2014, and amounted to 14,025 operations. The maximum take-off weight handled amounted to 519,470 tons which is 2.5% less than in the same period of 2014

Despite the decrease in international passenger traffic and refocusing of passenger demand towards internal flight, in the first half of 2015, Pulkovo Airport continued expanding its destination network in terms of both Russian and international routes. This became possible due to active work of the airport’s managing company, Northern Capital Gateway LLC, in attracting new carriers, and to the implementing Decree of the RF Government No. 1242 dated 25.12.2013 on the support of regional air carriage.

Since the beginning of 2015, new direct regular flights for 17 routes, including 10 inter-Russian routes (to Usinsk, Vladimir, Kotlas, Ulyanovsk, Barnaul, Magadan, Groznyi, Kaluga, Magas, and Saratov) and 7 international routes (to Brussels, Odessa, Tbilisi, Malaga, Vilnius, Naples, and Shanghai) were added to the flight schedule of Pulkovo Airport. 6 new airlines: Vologda Aviation Enterprise, Komiaviatrans, Brussels Airlines, Red Wings, Georgian Airways and Meridiana also started performing the flights from St. Petersburg.

The most popular Russian destinations of Pulkovo Airport during the last six months were to Moscow, Simferopol, Kaliningrad, Sochi, and Arkhangelsk. Among international routes, the most popular destinations were Antalya, Frankfurt am Main, Hurghada, Paris, and Kiev.

In the two first quarters of the current year, Russia, Aeroflot, Transaero, Siberia, and Ural Airlines became the largest Russian air carriers in terms of traffic volume from Pulkovo. In total, they serviced 4,072,766 passengers at Pulkovo, or 66.9% of the total passenger traffic from St. Petersburg in this period.

Among foreign air carriers, Lufthansa, Uzbekistan Airways, Belavia, Ukraine International Airlines, and Emirates became the leaders of the first half of 2015. In total, they serviced 445,932 passengers to and from Pulkovo during the first six months, or 7.3% of the total airport passenger traffic.