The key facts

  • For the New Year holidays, tickets are on average 70–80% more expensive than in early December
  • Low season — late November to early December and late January to February
  • Due to falling demand for domestic tourism, minimum fares are in places lower than last year's

ATOR's forecast for the New Year holidays

During the New Year holidays, airfare rises by an average of 70–80% compared with early December, NSN was told by the press office of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR). The cheapest tickets fall in the low season — late November to early December, as well as late January and February. The association stresses that this is not final statistics: in practice, the price depends heavily on specific dates and destinations.

Why familiar patterns do not always hold

According to ATOR, airlines have become more flexible, and the rule of price increases during holidays does not always apply — passengers are advised to monitor fares closely. «Situations in which minimum fares turned out to be lower than last year's have already been recorded this year. In particular, in early February, as well as in May–July,» the association noted, linking this to carriers' changed policies: demand for domestic tourism is stagnating this year, and on some routes it is declining noticeably. Since companies react quickly to demand by adjusting prices, experts believe one should not rely on the dynamics of previous years.

What else is changing in the rules for passengers

The forecast comes in the context of two recent proposals reported by Gazeta.Ru. From 2027, Russia may introduce an additional fee when purchasing air tickets — 500 rubles on domestic flights and 1,000 rubles on international ones; the mechanism, intended to support the supply of new Russian aircraft, is being developed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the instructions of President Vladimir Putin. In addition, the State Duma has proposed simplifying the procedure for refunding money for tickets when a flight is cancelled. For passengers planning New Year trips, this means that the final ticket price may consist not only of the fare but also of new fees — however, the fee bill remains a plan rather than an adopted decision for now.