Air traffic generated by Russian airlines rose by 31.3% in the first 11 months of 2010 as compared to same period previous year, - according to the local Association of Tourists Operators which made its own calculations.

The grand total of passengers that travelled with Russian airliners increased by 26.9% compared to the respective period previous year and by 12.8% to that in 2008. The Association also calculated that the traffic rose by 18.1% compared to the respective period in 2008, when worldwide economic crisis began. Analytical service of the Association predict that the traffic will continue to grow in 2011, but at a much lower rate.

The year of 2009 marked a big drop in the Russian air traffic, by 11.1% (exclusive of December), due to the worldwide economic downturn. The drop was largely caused by lower solvent demand from the general public, with Russian population cutting travel and holiday expenses. The domestic air travel suffered most, while the number of travelers on international routes (not counting members in the Commonwealth of Independent States) was pretty much stable.