Aeroflot Group has reported steady customer numbers for 2025, although available seat-kilometres was lifted and traffic in revenue passenger-kilometres rose. Passenger numbers totalled 55.3 million, 0.1% up on 2024's level. RPKs increased 3.4% as ASKs were lifted 2.7%. As a result, load factor increased by 0.6 percentage points to 90.2%. Domestic traffic naturally remains the backbone of the group's operations. It carried 42 million domestic passengers, against 13.4 million on international routes. In 2022, Aeroflot lost access to many international markets following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The group's flagship carrier, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, had a minor 1.8% dip in passenger numbers, to 29.5 million. Management attributes this largely to the success of a shuttle programme between Moscow and St Petersburg launched in June 2024. This involved the strategic transfer of several flights from Aeroflot to sister carrier Rossiya.

Emirates will launch new daily direct flights between Dubai and Finnish capital Helsinki on 1 October. The service will be the only nonstop year-round one between Finland and the United Arab Emirates, says the carrier. An Airbus A350 fitted with a premium-economy cabin will be deployed on the route. Emirates adds that the schedule has been optimised for seamless connections to major destinations across Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. "There is already strong demand between Helsinki and Dubai... Introducing direct, year-round connectivity is a natural next step," states the Middle Eastern carrier's operations chief Adnan Kazim. "Finland offers a unique combination of innovation, nature, and culture, unlocking new opportunities for tourism and trade." Cirium data shows that Oneworld carrier Finnair operates a daily direct link between Dubai and Helsinki during the winter season.

Air India and Saudia will start a reciprocal codeshare arrangement in February that will allow for a limited number of connections on each carriers' domestic networks. Air India states that under the deal, its passengers travelling to Jeddah or Riyadh will be able to access connecting services to Dammam, Abha, Gassim, Gizan, Madinah, and Taif. It adds that connections to " complementary international destinations" will be added later in the year. Schedules data shows that the carrier operates 28 weekly services to Jeddah and Riyadh from Mumbai and Delhi. In return, Saudia passengers will be able to access code shared services from Mumbai and Delhi to destinations including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, and Jaipur. Another 15 destinations will be available as an interline connection. Saudia operates 12 flights each week to Mumbai and Delhi, respectively. "The codeshare agreement with Air India marks a strategic step forward, given both airlines’ long histories and their shared commitment to increasing connectivity within their home markets and between their countries, while offering guests broader access to more destinations through simplified travel procedures that elevate the overall travel experience," says Saudia Group director general Ibrahim Al-Omar.