In a blow to Virgin Atlantic, rights to fly between the UK and Moscow have been granted to easyJet, with flights expected to begin in March 2013.
Under the bilateral agreement between Russia and the UK, two British airlines are permitted to fly between the two countries. Since British Airways’ takeover of BMI, there has been a vacant position as the second airline. Virgin Atlantic and easyJet were battling head-to-head for the rights, and today it has been announced that easyJet have been successful.
easyJet will fly from London Gatwick to Moscow Domodedovo twice daily using Airbus A320 aircraft. The CAA board commented “We concluded that easyJet’s proposal would introduce a distinctly different product [to British Airways] as well as satisfying and stimulating consumer demand that is currently under served, in particular for people who prefer or are content to use Gatwick.”
For the enthusiast this bodes very well. Moscow’s airports are still a rich picking ground of older Russian aircraft, often laid up in storage, and the city also holds the fantastic MAKS Air Show every other year.
This has tempted me to look for some cheap flights next summer for the next MAKS event. easyJet are advertising return prices as low as £125.
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