Aeroflot passenger numbers fall 20% in March

Russia's flagship carrier Aeroflot on Monday reported a 20 percent fall in passenger traffic in March year-on-year following tough Western sanctions over Moscow's military operation in Ukraine. Passenger traffic on international and domestic flights fell to 2.2m in March, the first full month after the conflict began, from 2.77m last year, the airline said. Passenger traffic on international flights declined by half, it said. The Aeroflot group includes the Pobeda budget airline and the Rossiya domestic airline. The Russian state owns a 57.3% stake in the group. Aeroflot suspended all international flights from March 8, a move it said was temporary. This came after the carrier and all Russian airlines were banned from the airspace of the entire European Union, Britain and Canada. In retaliation, Russia has banned airlines from these countries from flying over its territory. Aeroflot's passenger traffic on domestic flights has declined by 15.7% as Russia's economy shrinks.<br/>