Russian airlines carried 6.6m passengers in Jan, up 20.2% YOY. International traffic grew 28.8% to 2.6m passengers; domestic traffic was up 15.3% to 4m, according to RussiaÕs Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia. Aeroflot carried 2.3m passengers in Jan, up 14.8% YOY. Sibir Airline, which works under the S7 Airlines brand, carried 691,109 passengers, up 0.1%. Globus, which also works under the S7 brand, grew 70.2% to 322,905 passengers. Saint Petersburg-based Aeroflot subsidiary Rossiya Airlines carried 671,852 passengers, up 2.4 times. UTair Aviation carried 482,907 passengers, up 28.1% YOY. Ural Airlines carried 473,368 passengers, up 35.1% YOY.<br/>
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IndiaÕs aviation regulator DGCA has started an investigation into Pratt & Whitney-powered Airbus A320neos operated by IndiGo and GoAir. The probe comes after recent incidents at the two carriers related to P&WÕs PW1100G geared turbofan engines. IndiGo and GoAir have had two issues each with P&W engines in the last month. Aircraft with over 1,000 flight hours will be examined by the DGCA for possible engine issues. The examination will focus on metal chips which have been found in the engineÕs oil. The chips are related to degradation in the engineÕs bearings.<br/>
Foreign travelers planning to reach the Nigerian capital, Abuja, next month have two choices: make a 15-hour drive from the southern commercial hub of Lagos or fly to the northern city of Kaduna and ride through an area plagued by kidnappers and gunmen. The authorities plan to close AbujaÕs airport for six weeks March 8 to repair potholes on the 35-year-old runway that have damaged planesÕ landing gear. British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and South African Airways declined the govtÕs suggestion to divert their flights to Kaduna. KadunaÕs attractiveness dimmed Feb 23 when two German archaeologists were kidnapped in a village off the road to the capital. The airport in Abuja handles 3m passengers a year.<br/>