An unusual flight has appeared in the Koltsovo Airport schedule: on September 20, Red Wings airline will operate a flight from Yekaterinburg to Chelyabinsk. According to the carrier, the journey on the Sukhoi Superjet 100 will take only 55 minutes. The ticket price is 1.4 thousand rubles.
So far, the flight is scheduled for only one date. RBC sent a request to the press service of Red Wings to find out whether this is due to technical reasons or whether the company is considering the possibility of regular service between the two Ural cities.
Attempts to establish air service in this direction have been made before. In 2018, Izhavia planned flights, but the demand turned out to be minimal - the first flight was canceled due to one ticket sold. In 2019, the carrier finally abandoned the route. Red Wings previously launched flights to Magnitogorsk, operating them twice a week on the Superjet 100.
Since the end of 2024, the high-speed electric train "Finist" has been running between Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk, which covers the route in 4 hours 18 minutes. By road, the journey time is about 2.5 hours. Against this background, the plane wins only in flight time, but not always in convenience and price.
Direct flights between Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk may become popular with business passengers and those who value speed. However, the history of low demand calls into question the economic feasibility of regular flights.
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