How to find the cheapest flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg from India

Traveling from India to Russia on a direct roundtrip flight to Moscow can cost about 30000 INR. On the other hand, a roundtrip flight to Moscow with a layover in another country (for example, in Uzbekistan) can make it a little cheaper. In this post, I explain the different options available for flying from Indiato Russia, as well as provide advice in order to find the most economical flight.

1. Introduction

The increase in tourism and trade relations between India and Russia has led to an increasing number of airlines offering direct flights between India and Russia, particularly to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Most of direct flights operating between India and Russia originate in major cities: New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata etc.

Moscow has three international airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo), while St. Petersburg has the Pulkovo Airport. In this article I analyze the different companies flying from India to these airports as well as how to find the lowest prices by comparing prices on flights through the excellent website Momondo.

2. Connecting flights between India and Russia

2.1. Direct flights between India and Russia

There are twocompanies that offer direct flights from Indian cities to Moscow:

• Aeroflot. This is a Russian national airline and the biggest one in the country. They offer regular flights from New Delhi to Moscow.
• S7 Airlines. A Siberian company that offers some flights from India to Russia.

2.2. Flights with layovers between India and Russia

Another interesting option, which is sometimes cheaper than a direct flight, is to take a flight to Moscow or St. Petersburg with stops in another Asian city. There are several connections with one stop that fly from India to Russia. Some examples:

• Uzbekistan Airways via Tashkent.
• Air Astana via Astana
• Air Arabia via Sharjah

This option is very interesting in the following cases:

• If a direct flight is too expensive
• If you live in an Indian city with no direct flights to Russia
• And, regardless, if the layover is not very long and does not require a change of airport

2.3. Alternative routes: direct flights to Helsinki

If you are traveling to St. Petersburg, one option for some travelers is to take a flight to Helsinki, city located 5 hours by train or car from St. Petersburg.

It is a good option if it is cheaper than flying to Russia directly or in the event that you want to visit Finland. For example, Finnair has direct flights to Helsinki from New Delhi.

3. Recommendations for finding the best prices for flights to Moscow or St. Petersburg

When you choose a flight from India to Russia and find the best price, it is important to follow some practical recommendations:

Recommendation 1: reserve a ticket at least 2-3 months in advance

The cheapest tickets are always reserved with more than 2 or 3 months of advance notice. If you end up waiting until the last minute, prices will increase up until the final weeks before a flight. I have never found a better price reserving a flight in the final days beforehand; on the contrary, they are much more expensive.

Recommendation 2: if you can, travel outside of high season and during the week

In general, during the high season prices are higher (July and August). If you travel outside of these months, you can find lower prices. Also prices are usually better when taking flights on a weekday or on a Saturday, since on Friday or Sunday flights are usually more in demand.

Recommendation 3: do not limit yourself to direct flights

Do not limit yourself to only direct flights from your origin city to Moscow or St. Petersburg, but rather also look for offers on flights to some other Asian cities. It is also interesting to look at the connections from cities close to Russian territory such as Helsinki or Tallinn.

Recommendation 4: think about selecting a multi-destination option

Many airlines allow multi-destination options: if you want to visit Moscow as well as St. Petersburg on the same trip, there is the possibility of traveling from India to St. Petersburg and then for the return flight traveling from Moscow back to India, so that in this manner you just have to make a round trip between St. Petersburg and Moscow (which will save you money and time).

Recommendation 5: use a website that compares flights

To know what the lowest fare available is, the best option that I have found is to use a search engine called Momondo which finds flights better than other comparison sites like Skyscanner, Kayak or eDreams.

I recently used Momondo for several reasons:

• It makes comparisons not only between airlines but also between other flight search engines. This way, you always find the best price.
• It displays airfares without additional fees or commissions.
• It allows you to search for multiple destinations, which is very useful if you want to make a round trip, for example, from New Delhi to Moscow and another back from St. Petersburg to New Delhi, so that you avoid making two trips between St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Momondo is only a flight comparison tool, leaving the actual purchase of tickets to be done directly with the airline (Momondo gives you the link for the flight at no extra charge).

4. What does a flight from New Delhi to Moscow cost?

A direct return ticket from New Delhi to Moscow with Aeroflot costs about 30000 INR, although this will depend on the season.

5. Conclusions

To fly from India to Russia at lower prices, it is very important to book the flight more than 3 months in advance and use as a flight comparison website like Momondo to find the cheapest flight.

Aeroflot and S7 Airlines have direct flights to Moscow, with an average price of a round trip ticket at about 30000. If you do not care to make any stops, you can buy a flight with layovers with companies such as Uzbekistan Airways, Air Astana, or Air Arabia and get a better price.

In short, the options vary depending on the needs of each person’s budget or the cities you are visiting. In any case, the flight comparison site Momondo is essential to finding the best and most economical flight.

What has been your experience flying from India to Russia ? You can leave your comments below. Thanks for sharing