Russian airlines face over $12 million in losses Amid evacuations from Middle East

Russian airlines are expected to incur losses of around 1 billion rubles ($12.5 million) in the first ten days of March due to suspended ticket sales and one-way evacuation flights, Izvestia reports.

According to the Ministry of Transport, between March 2 and 5, 105 flights to Russia were operated, including 97 from the UAE and 8 from Oman, bringing home 21,000 passengers, with an additional 7,700 citizens evacuated from the conflict zone on March 6. Similar operations are planned over the coming weekend.

Flights are operated one-way empty, reducing profitability to minus 30%. Sources from airlines estimate losses per 180-seat aircraft at 1.5–3 million rubles, with larger wide-body planes incurring even higher costs.

The ministry noted that 216 flights to the UAE and Persian Gulf countries were cancelled in early March, and more than 10,000 tickets were refunded, totalling up to 400 million rubles.

Airspace over Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, and Kuwait remains closed. Ticket sales are suspended until March 14, and flights to Israel remain suspended until March 20, according to Rosaviatsia. Despite the disruptions, carriers continue evacuating Russian citizens amid missile attacks.