Direct flights between Central Germany and the Russian capital are about to be restored after a long interruption. Two airlines, Blue Wings and Aeroflot, will link the Central German airports at Leipzig/Halle and Dresden with non-stop flights to Moscow four times a week from the early summer onwards.

The export-oriented economy in Central Germany traditionally has had strong trade relations with Russia. The demand for direct flights to Mos-cow has always been high from business customers. Intensive contacts by political and business leaders have now borne fruit very quickly: The German airline Blue Wings based in Düsseldorf will fly to Moscow She-remetyevo twice a week starting on 18 June 2009. New Airbus A 320 aircraft will be used on the route. The Russian airline Aeroflot will start operating flights from Dresden to Moscow Sheremetyevo on 3 July 2009 – an Airbus A 319 will be used on this route.

Markus Kopp, CEO of Mitteldeutschen Flughafen AG, said: “The worlds of politics and business have joined forces here in an admirable way. The resources available in the Central German region were jointly pooled in order to link Saxony with Russia again. The delegation to Moscow led by State Premier Stanislaw Tillich and State Minister Thomas Jurk played a major part in this success. But this agreement would not have been rea-ched in such a short time without the determined commitment of the Russia side. In the end, the city of Leipzig played an important role in the establishment of the non-stop flight, because it has been fully sup-porting this ambitious project for a long time. Together we have de-monstrated what is possible – even in what are difficult times at the moment. The whole of Central Germany will gain tangible benefits from the new flights as a result of Russian business travellers and tourists.”

Many passengers will be delighted by the relaunch of the Leipzig/Halle-Moscow route. Dierk Näther, Managing Director of Leipzig/Halle Air-port, says: “We welcome the commitment of Blue Wings to our airport. Interest in this route on the part of passengers and business partners has been at high levels for a long time. Leipzig, with its major international events – such as the Leipzig Fair – will benefit from these flights in a tangible way. Central Germany and the Russian capital are now linked again by direct flights after an interval of five years. We see huge potential in the new route – and it will benefit both bilateral business contacts and the tourism business. I am also confident that this attractive offer will be used by many residents of Russian descent who live in our region.”

The new direct Dresden-Moscow flight will also create further important momentum in Saxon/Russian relations according to Dr. Michael Hupe, Managing Director of Dresden International Airport: “Business links between industry in the Dresden area and Russia have developed in an outstanding fashion over the past few years. Many sectors have tapped into new markets in Russia. Our companies will not just be able to reach Moscow, but many other companies all over Russia much more quickly by using the Aeroflot flights. We also believe that the flights will further boost visitor numbers from Russia – this figure has already doubled over the past 12 months. The paintings and sculptures from the Dresden State Art Collections exhibited in the city’s museums are world-class and are well-known in Moscow. The city of Dresden is established as a trademark there.”

Blue Wings will fly to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) from Leipzig/Halle every Thursday and Sunday. The flight departs from Leipzig/Halle at 2.10 p.m. and the aircraft will reach the Russian capital at 7.00 p.m. local time. Aeroflot will take off from Dresden every Monday and Friday at 6.10 p.m. and land at 10.10 p.m. Moscow time.

Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding is the overall trade name used by Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, a company operated by the public sector. The group has several subsidiary companies: Leipzig/Halle Airport, Dresden International Airport, PortGround and EasternAirCargo. The group handled 96,892 aircraft movements, 4.32 million passengers and 442,750 tonnes of freight in 2008. The Group directly employs 970 members of staff and trainees. More than 7,000 people are employed at the Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG business sites in various companies and public authorities.