MOSCOW — Low-cost airline Ryanair and other budget carriers are expected to start flying from Russia's St Petersburg airport in 2020, the Russian Transport Ministry said. The move is part of Russia's plan to boost tourist flows to St Petersburg and will mean more competition for Russian air carriers, including national flag carrier Aeroflot. The ministry said on Tuesday that Ryanair, EasyJet, WizzAir, Volotea , Air Baltic and Fly One had expressed interest in flights from St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport, Russia's fourth largest after Moscow's three major hubs. It said the companies had applied for flights from Pulkovo, coded LED by the International Air Transport Association, to 22 countries, including Britain, Germany and France.

Source: International New York Times December 25, 2019 08:48 UTC