As of November 2012, Iberia launches new direct regular flight from Moscow to Malaga and Alicante. The flight will run once a week, but according to some Russian tour operators, the no. of new flights is more than is required by the market.
Two Korean carriers, Asiana and Eastar Jet are planning to launch flights between Vladivostok and Seul. Asiana plans to launch the first flight in November. Until now, only Vladivostok Avia and Korean Air were the only companies flying this route, and the new airlines should improve the competitiveness.
Virgin Atlantic signed a code share agreement with Transaero for the flights between Russia and the US. Experts say this to increase their chances of getting direct flight slots between London and Moscow, which was recently vacated by BMI (due to its acquisition by BA). However, EasyJet has also applied for this route, using Gatwick airport, while Virgin Atlantic intends to fly from Heathrow. The successful airline should start flying from January 2013.
As of September 2012, Aeroflot added a 2nd flight to Moscow-Tel Aviv route, as Israel is increasingly popular with Russian tourists since in the removal of the visa since late 2008. In Jan-May 2012, over 220,000 Russians visited Israel (+23% up on 2011). This makes Russia the 2nd largest source market after the US. The most popular destinations for Russian tourists are Jerusalem (38%), followed by Tel Aviv (20%) and Eilat (19%).
Iceland air will open its first flight between Russia and Iceland. The flight is planned to operate between St-Petersburg and Reykjavik twice a week from June to September 2013. For the Russian passengers, the new flight is also a convenient connection to North America.