"On August 8, airline company 'Aeroflot' will commence operating three daily flights from Moscow to Gelendzhik"
After a three-year hiatus, Gelendzhik Airport in Russia is set to reopen on July 18, 2025, with Aeroflot resuming daily flights to the popular resort destination. The airline has announced an increase in flights to Gelendzhik in August, responding to a surge in demand and aiming to capture the peak summer tourist traffic.
From July 18 to 24, Aeroflot will operate a single daily flight between Moscow and Gelendzhik, using an Airbus A320 with a one-class configuration. From July 25 onwards, the airline will maintain daily flights, marking the initial service between the two cities.
From August 1, Aeroflot will launch two daily flights between Moscow and Gelendzhik. This increased frequency will remain in place until August 7, with no changes in the flight schedule during this period.
From August 8 to mid-September, the airline will operate three daily flights between Moscow and Gelendzhik, reflecting higher demand during the peak summer season. This increased capacity will be maintained until October 12, after which the number of flights is expected to taper off.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) has confirmed that Gelendzhik Airport is ready to handle civil aircraft starting July 10, 2025. The airport had been closed to civil traffic since late February 2022, when Russia suspended flights to 12 airports near Ukraine, including Gelendzhik, due to security concerns.
While Gelendzhik is reopening, flight restrictions remain in place at several other southern Russian airports. These include Anapa, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Krasnodar, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, and Simferopol.
The increased flights are a result of the explosive demand for travel to Gelendzhik, with tourism industry representatives reporting a 40-fold rise in demand after the airport was set to reopen, and a doubling of interest in holidays in Gelendzhik. Tickets for the initial flights sold out within hours, indicating strong pent-up demand from tourists.
While Aeroflot is the first airline to resume flights to Gelendzhik, other carriers such as S7 are also negotiating or planning to start flights to the resort destination, which could further stimulate demand and capacity.
The updated schedule indicates that Moscow-Gelendzhik-Moscow flights will operate daily in July. From August 8 to October 12, three flights per day are scheduled between Moscow and Gelendzhik. From October 13 to 25, the airline will reduce the number of flights to two per day between Moscow and Gelendzhik.
Regular domestic flights at Gelendzhik Airport will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Moscow time. From July 18 to 31, flights to Gelendzhik will operate on larger-capacity aircraft. From October 13 to 25, the airline will reduce the number of flights to two per day between Moscow and Gelendzhik.
No information about ticket prices or booking procedures for the flights has been provided as of yet. However, the press service of Aeroflot has reported the updated schedule for flights between Moscow and Gelendzhik.
The increased flights from August 8 to mid-September are a response to the soaring demand in the tourism industry, with a 40-fold rise in demand for Gelendzhik after the airport's reopening. Furthermore, the finance sector may see improved revenues as aresult of the increased aerospace and transportation services between Moscow and Gelendzhik during this period.
