Alexey Buevich, Deputy Head of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), has put forth a forward-thinking proposal that could completely change Russia’s approach to international aviation: the establishment of an international transit hub in an African nation to increase passenger traffic between Russia and the continent. This concept comes at a time when Russia is dealing with expanding constraints on its long-haul aviation capabilities, changing international travel trends, and an increasingly significant African market. Buevich’s remarks highlight the proposal’s potential as well as its urgency. He underlined the necessity of taking into account the creation of a major air hub in Africa in order to coordinate international passenger flows and transit transportation under a large Russian carrier or coalition of Russian carriers. In addition to reducing the increasing logistical difficulties, this center would expand the possibilities for transcontinental travel.
Russia’s air transportation system has been severely disrupted in recent years, particularly with regard to long-haul routes. The issue with wide-body airliners is still crucial, even though Russian-built aircraft like the SJ-100, MC-21, and Tu-214 can eventually sustain domestic and regional fleets. The foundation of long-distance flights are wide-body aircraft, such as the Airbus A330, Boeing 777, and Boeing 767, which can carry 250–400 passengers and have ranges of more than 11,000 kilometers. Some of Russia’s most important long-haul routes, such as Moscow to Vladivostok at around 6,400 kilometers, Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at about 6,800 kilometers, and Moscow to Anadyr at about 6,000 kilometers, are currently supported by these aircraft. Russia’s wide-body fleet will eventually decrease without replacement due to sanctions imposed by the US and the EU that limit the delivery of new aircraft and spare parts. Buevich warns that Russia may see a sharp drop in intercontinental passenger travel over the course of the next ten years, and some internal transcontinental lines that are crucial for national connection may even be cut off.
Africa has become a more valuable region for Russian holidaymakers in this aviation landscape. Travel to nations like Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and the Seychelles has increased dramatically. The majority of air travel from Russia to Africa currently focuses on Egypt, where demand is strong in Cairo, Hurghada, and Sharm el-Sheikh. These airports in North Africa are easily accessible by Russia’s popular medium-haul aircraft. This region is ideal for the Airbus A321, which has a range of up to 5,950 kilometers, and the A321neo, which has a range of about 7,400 kilometers. Similarly, the Boeing 737-800, with its roughly 5,400-kilometer range, can easily reach major Russian cities. Once passengers reach the hub, even the SJ-100, which has a 3,000-kilometer range, would be useful for shorter trips within Africa. Egypt is a prime prospect for hub development since distances like the 3,100 kilometers between Moscow and Hurghada, the 3,060 kilometers to Sharm el-Sheikh, and the 2,900 kilometers to Cairo are all easily covered by these planes.
The goal of the plan to establish an African transit gateway is to make the most of Russia’s current fleet of aircraft while making up for the shortage of wide-body aircraft. Russian airlines might combine passengers from various regions into medium-haul flights by using Egypt or Ethiopia as a hub. These aircraft would then connect to Russian partner airlines or African carriers for further travel within the continent. Though tailored to Russia’s unique limits, this strategy reflects the effective tactics of major transit hubs like Istanbul, Doha, and Dubai. Ethiopia and Egypt stand up as the most promising options for this center. Egypt already has a developed aviation infrastructure and handles a lot of Russian travel. Major resort airports with the ability to manage large charter operations, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, provide proximity, adequate runway capabilities, and robust year-round demand. Cairo, on the other hand, has the benefits of a significant intercontinental airport connected to the northern, western, and central parts of Africa via EgyptAir and other regional airlines.
Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, offers an entirely different kind of strategic potential. Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, makes it one of the continent’s most connected aviation hubs. Because Addis Ababa is within the operational range of A321neo and Boeing 737 MAX-class aircraft and is located approximately 5,300 kilometers from Moscow, direct flights from Russia to Ethiopia are technically possible. From there, travelers might easily continue their journey through Ethiopian Airlines’ growing network to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and dozens of other locations.
Sanctions have a major effect on how urgent this strategy is. Without intervention, Russia runs the risk of losing connectivity not only to far-off markets like Southeast Asia and Latin America, but also within its own borders, as its long-haul fleet cannot be replenished. Long-haul aviation will continue to be severely restricted for years to come, even though medium-haul Russian aircraft will finally meet regional and short-haul demand. This fact forces strategic thought in the direction of alternate approaches that optimize the capabilities of the current fleet. Russia is able to maintain its worldwide reach without depending on wide-body aircraft, which it cannot readily acquire or service, thanks to an African hub that is reachable by medium-haul aircraft.
The CEO of ATEO Air and aviation expert Oleg Evdokimov, while speaking to Aviation21 website, established the theoretical groundwork for this strategy in 2024 when he talked about the significance of digital airline coordination using a concept known as virtual interfacing. Airlines can digitally link schedules through virtual linking without formally getting into code-share agreements. Airlines retain freedom and avoid long-term contractual obligations, while passengers enjoy smooth connections, even across unaffiliated flights. According to Evdokimov, this method might be used to integrate airplanes that are frequently inactive because of network constraints, including the Airbus A320/A321neo and the SSJ-100. By using the capacities of friendly foreign carriers, he identified Sochi and Irkutsk as Russian coastal and eastern centers capable of supporting such a network, which would then connect Russia with Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. This reasoning is reflected in the Rosaviatsiya plan, which suggests that the African hub may be used as a practical illustration of virtual linking.
Evdokimov responded that Rosaviatsiya’s plan was timely and sensible when asked about Buevich’s suggestion. Noting that the African continent obviously needs more direct ties to Russian regions, he disclosed that earlier in 2024 he had negotiated charter routes between Hurghada and Zanzibar with Red Sea Airlines and Al Masria Universal Airlines. He thinks Egyptian carriers could be crucial to the growth of this concept. Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Cairo are currently served by more than 100 weekly flights from Moscow and Russian provincial airports. In order to support the transit hub model, Egyptian airlines, particularly Al Masria, have idle A320neo and A321neo aircraft that might be used, possibly in collaboration with businesses like Melon Aero, which Evdokimov represents.
According to Evdokimov, an African center has multiple layers of strategic value. The hub creates quick and easy connections for passengers by combining passenger flows from all throughout Russia. Additionally, it creates new markets for medium- and long-haul flights to places like Ethiopia, Kenya, the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Zanzibar. Most importantly, it provides a means of making use of underutilized or idle aircraft, which is becoming more and more significant as sanctions continue to influence fleet availability. Lastly, the establishment of such a hub shows that Russia is capable of creating and executing a global transit model that is not dependent on conventional Western aviation frameworks.
Evdokimov is optimistic that the initiative can and should be improved in the future. He emphasizes that the key components for creating a network that grows gradually are a combination of technology tools, accessible aircraft capacity, and the interest of African partners. He points out that Russia’s long-haul routes are still limited; it has only recently reestablished connections to Cuba and Venezuela, and flights to South America have not returned. In light of these persistent constraints, an African hub might offer Russia the platform it needs to expand its global operations over the next ten years, test virtual interlining solutions, more effectively distribute passenger flows, and establish strong ties with regional African carriers.
Evdokimov cites Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh as the most practical places to start when asked which city would be best suited for such a hub. Both are easily accessible by A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kazan. Egyptian airports like Voronezh and Simferopol are the best options for housing the new transit center since, despite their present closure, the distances are still ideal for medium-haul travel.
In conclusion, Russia’s plan to create a transit hub in Africa is a sensible and progressive solution to the structural issues the nation’s aviation industry is currently confronting. It aims to maintain global connection, fortify relationships with African countries, make effective use of medium-haul aircraft, and develop a new aviation architecture independent of wide-body jets. The African hub concept offers both a workable answer and a strategic chance to change Russia’s aviation landscape for years to come at a time when the country’s long-haul aviation future is still uncertain.