ROUTES CIS: Ukraine International Partners with Rossiya to St Petersburg

Ukraine’s most prominent carrier, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has entered into a marketing partnership with Russian carrier Rossiya Airlines to enhance air services and connectivity between Kiev and St Petersburg. The two airlines have entered into a codeshare arrangement on the route enhancing transfer options at both ends.

UIA currently offers a single daily rotation on the route, a market it started to serve from February this year after it replaced AeroSvit Airlines. Rossiya Airlines offers up to two flights per day using a mix of Antonov An-148 and Airbus A319 equipment. With a joint up to three times daily offering both carriers will be able to provide an enhanced offering to customers providing connection options within Russia and Ukraine and additional destinations across Europe and into Europe, the CIS and the Middle East.

“Three daily flights between Kiev and St. Petersburg will allow UIA passengers to quickly, easily, and cost-effectively travel between the two cities,” said a spokesperson for UIA. According to MIDT data an estimated 109,000 bi-directional O&D passengers travelled on the route in 2012, up 3.2 per cent on the previous year although demand the first five months of this year is down 11.4 per cent versus the corresponding period in 2012, due in part to the changes in operator on the route.

In the table below we look at the evolution of air services between Kiev and St Petersburg and how capacity and demand has changed since 2007. A reduction in capacity in 2008 and 2009 resulted in a fall in passenger demand but growth of 36.8 per cent and 85.5 per cent in 2010 and 2011, respectively, has helped push point-to-point passenger numbers above the 100,000 figure.