The Cheapest Seat on a Commercial Flight to Yerevan Costs 200,000 Rubles: Where are Russians Heading and How Much are They Paying?

Demand for seats on private jets in Moscow has surged following Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for the first military mobilization since World War II, prompting wealthy Russians to seek ways out of the country amid reports that authorities plan to close borders for men of mobilization age, reports the British newspaper The Guardian.

The report notes that passengers are primarily heading to Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan—countries that allow Russian nationals to enter without a visa. They are paying between 20,000 to 25,000 pounds for a seat on a private jet, while the rental cost for an eight-seat plane ranges from 80,000 to 140,000 pounds, which is several times higher than the usual prices.

“The situation is absolutely insane right now,” said Yevgeny Bikov, director of the brokerage company Your Charter. “We used to receive about 50 inquiries a day. Now it’s around 5,000,” he added.

According to Bikov, his company has started renting larger commercial jets to try to meet the demand and bring prices down. “But we just can’t find enough seats for everyone,” he stated, adding that the cheapest seat on a rented commercial flight to Yerevan costs about 200,000 rubles.

The company FlightWay, which offers flights on private jets, reported an increase in requests for one-way flights to Armenia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Dubai. “Demand has increased 50 times,” said company head Edward Simonov.

The Guardian notes that it’s not just the wealthy seeking to use private jets; some companies are renting planes to evacuate their male staff from Russia. According to the Russian business publication Kommersant, a video game design company in Moscow rented an entire plane to bring its employees out of the country.