Russian airlines may carry 90 mln passengers in 2022, Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev said at a meeting of the Federation Council’s economic policy committee on Tuesday. This reported by TASS.

"Our preliminary estimate is around 90 mln (people that will be - TASS) carried, as (in 2021) we carried 87.5 mln. International flights have been suspended, but Russian citizens will be travelling. We expect the tourism business to develop inside Russia, while if Turkey, Egypt and other countries accept us, it means we may reach the 100 mln mark," he said.

Before the latest volley of sanctions, it had been projected that within 1.5-2 years, the pre-COVID level of air travel (128.1 mln passengers in 2019) would be reached again.

Savelyev suggests that Russian citizens should not fear a sharp rise in airplane ticket prices, as costs are currently limited by demand and purchasing power. "You cannot raise the price high, it is not realistic because people will not buy a ticket, they will not fly," he explained.

That said, the Russian Transport Minister expects a regular seasonal rise in ticket prices during the summer vacation period.