From Russia with love

Aboudy Nasser, London Stansteds Chief Commercial Office. Picture: Stansted Airport (Image: Archant)

Despite the current political tensions between the UK and Russia, Pobeda Airlines, the Russian low-cost carrier and part of the Aeroflot Group, has decided to launch a new direct service to Saint Petersburg from London Stansted.

Commencing on 12 October, just a week before the Brexit deadline, the new service will connect Russia’s second largest city with London’s fastest growing airport four-times a week, using one of the airline’s Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft.

Saint Petersburg, one of the host venues at this summer’s world cup, is a port city on the Baltic Sea and considered to be the cultural capital of Russia.

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg constitutes a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is also home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world as well as many foreign consulates, international corporations and businesses.

One-way fares will start from £35.

Pobeda Airlines, which was founded in 2014, currently has a fleet of 22 aircraft with a further two Boeing 737-800 on order, and served nearly five million passengers in 2017 across 85 destinations in Europe, Russia and beyond.

Aboudy Nasser, London Stansted’s chief commercial officer, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Pobeda Airlines to London Stansted, another new airline choosing to operate to London’s fastest growing airport.

“This exciting new service will provide very cost effective and convenient direct access to Saint Petersburg from Stansted for the first time. I’m sure the route will be well received with business passengers from across London and the east of England looking to access Russia’s second largest city, and also prove to be very popular with leisure passengers eager to explore the culture and history of this world-renowned city.”

General director for Pobeda Airlines, Andrey Kalmykov, said: “We are very pleased to launch our new service to London Stansted and connect the great city of Saint Petersburg with London, Cambridge and the wider east of England, and I’m sure our low-fares will ensure the flights enjoy strong demand from UK passengers.”