International pariah status has not held back Russia’s vast network of air travel
Exclusive: Dozens of daily flights link Moscow with Turkey, Dubai and Indian Ocean islands
Tfoso
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Talks between Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin could take place as early as this month, the Kremlin has said. Amid fury from Ukraine and its European allies, a settlement of the three-year war waged by Russia may be near.
The world’s biggest country remains an international pariah in the eyes of the UK and Europe. Both have imposed sanctions against Russian airlines, which are banned from UK and EU airports and airspace; so too are carriers from Belarus, the Kremlin’s closest ally.
Yet as the possibility of a peace deal remains unclear, Russia remains extremely well connected with much of the rest of the world.
Some of the world’s leading airlines – including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines – are flying daily from their hubs to Russia’s biggest cities. And Russians seeking winter sun are spoilt for choice, with a vast range of flights to Turkish and Egyptian resorts, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
British travellers who choose to ignore the Foreign Office warning “against all travel to Russia” can readily find return flights from London Heathrow via Belgrade to Moscow or St Petersburg for £440 on Air Serbia. The flight path for the Air Serbia planes to the latter city crosses six EU countries: Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, before entering Russian airspace.
The main alternative from other UK airports is to change planes in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus compete for customers, with the latter charging £337 return from Manchester to Moscow.
Tim White, who has been covering the conflict as a Ukraine correspondent on X (formerly Twitter), cautioned anyone tempted to travel to the world’s biggest country.
He said: “I think visiting Russia any time soon is a terrible idea. There are some amazing sights in the big cities, but it's ruled by an indicted war criminal who hates Westerners and British people in particular. It's just not safe.
“Think about how many ordinary people we hear about being arrested on trumped-up charges, simply because Russia needs a bargaining chip. We have seen the same thing in Iran this month.
“Flying to Russia, via any route, is doing your bit to say you are happy with Putin's actions: stealing children, ordering his soldiers to shoot dead prisoners of war, rape and murder civilians.
“Until those accountable are brought to justice, or until Ukraine agrees a complete peace deal of its own volition, I think we should all respect what Ukraine has suffered and continue to shun Russia and not help its economy so it can rebuild its battered military.”
Meanwhile, citizens of Russia have more choice of flights to the UAE than ever. From Moscow to Dubai, passengers can choose from four different airlines – including Emirates, which has put a high-capacity Airbus A380 on the route to meet the demand.
Dozens of other links connect Russian airports with other UAE cities, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. Air Arabia serves six Russian cities from the Gulf, with fares from as little as £80 from Sharjah to Moscow.
Further afield, Muscovites can choose from nonstop flights serving several Indian Ocean destinations, including the Seychelles and the Thai island of Phuket.
At Antalya airport, a gateway for many British holidaymakers, the departure screens are full of flights to Russian destinations. But they must follow convoluted routes to avoid Ukraine. In normal times the flight to Moscow would be scheduled for around three hours – but the detour around Ukraine adds two hours to the journey.
The most extreme example is the daily flight on Belavia from Istanbul to Minsk, capital of Russian ally Belarus. The most direct route for a trip of less than 900 miles heads due north and passes over Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. But instead the Boeing 737 is routed east to Georgia, almost touching Kazakstan and crossing western Russia, taking five hours.
Azerbaijan Airlines, whose flight to Grozny was hit by an Russian anti-aircraft missile on Christmas Day 2024, continues to fly multiple daily services to and from Moscow, as well as links to St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
