Gazpromneft-Aero, the aviation fuel operator of Gazprom Neft, increased the total volume of refueling of Russian-Chinese flights at Russian and Chinese airports to 115,000 tons in 2021.

Its jet fuel business development strategy targets a further increase in fuel sales on Russian-Chinese routes to more than 200,000 tons by 2025 on condition passenger traffic between the countries continues to recover.

Gazpromneft-Aero is the first Russian company to provide all settlements for refueling airlines in national currencies in China and explores to switch payments for refueling Chinese airlines’ aircraft in Russian airports to rubles by the end of 2022.

The project is being implemented in accordance with the intergovernmental Russian Chinese commission on energy cooperation, which aims to increase air traffic volumes between the countries.

Currently Gazpromneft-Aero with China’s national supplier of aviation fuel provide refueling for 20 airlines including Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, Volga-Dnepr, and other carriers at 36 Chinese airports.

Vladimir Yegorov, Gazpromneft-Aero’s CEO says:

“We have achieved significant increases in the refueling volume of cargo flights in China, which has enabled us to increase retail jet sales at the airports of Chinese industrial centers every year for the past three years.

“Last year we signed new agreements with Volga-Dnepr, Atlas Air and others for refueling aircraft, including those carrying medical materials and equipment. In addition, IATA says the air transportation markets of Russia and China are recovering faster than global markets.”