Russian airlines' passenger traffic rose 15.7 percent to 40.2 million travelers in January to June, Interfax reported Wednesday, citing the Federal Air Transportation Agency.
Of the total, Aeroflot's passenger traffic increased 26.2 percent year on year to 7.71 million in January to July. The airline's seat occupancy rate was almost flat at 76.5 percent.
Last year, Aeroflot flew more than 14 million people versus 11.3 million the year before.
Companies making up the Aeroflot group increased passenger traffic 18 percent to 5.3 million people in the first half of 2012. Of these, Rossiya flew 2.38 million people, up 24.8 percent; Orenburg Airlines's traffic stood at 1.57 million passengers, up 17.3 percent; Donavia's traffic amounted to 549,200 people, up 32.6 percent; SAT Sakhalin Airlines flew 147,200 people, down 11.5 percent; and Vladivostok Avia's traffic was at 675,800 passengers, down 0.5 percent.
Freight and mail traffic increased 2.1 percent to 546,500 tons in the period.
In July, passenger traffic totaled 8.35 million people, a 10.7 percent year-on-year increase.
Passenger travel to foreign destinations was up 16.7 percent at 4.52 million people in July, while domestic traffic rose 10.4 percent to 3.83 million.
Russian airlines transported 78,287 tons of freight and mail in July, 9.8 percent less year on year.
Last year, Russian airlines flew 64 million people.
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