Russia's only budget airline, Pobeda, plans to begin flying to its first international destinations by the end of November, the TASS news agency reported.
Pobeda, a subsidiary of the country's flag carrier Aeroflot, was green-lighted this week to fly to seven cities outside Russia by a Transportation Ministry commission, an unidentified source close to the airline told TASS.
Pobeda will offer routes to the European cities of Salzburg, Verona, Bergamo, Bratislava, Chambery, Dresden and Cologne, the source said, adding that the company will start ticket sales in October.
Prices will start from 49 euros on one-way international flights, Pobeda's chief Andrei Kalmykov earlier told the RIA Novosti news agency.
The company could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Pobeda was launched last year to replace another low-cost airline set up by Aeroflot. That carrier, called Dobrolyot ("Goodflight"), was forced to close after being included on the EU's list of Russian companies sanctioned over the conflict in Ukraine. The name Pobeda in Russian means “Victory.”
Before Pobeda can start flying, however, amendments must be made to Russian aviation regulations that require airlines to work more than two years on the domestic market before they can fly international routes. The company has asked the Transportation Ministry to make the changes, according to TASS.
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