Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO)) has given a vague hint as to its intentions for its as-yet-unnamed planned Low Cost wing. According to the Russian carrier, initial routes will be limited to the Russian Federation with foreign routes to the CIS, Western and Eastern Europe a distinct possibility in future. In keeping with the "low cost" theme, Aeroflot has decided to outsource the overall branding and conceptualization for the LCC to the general public via a competition. Aeroflot has identified young people with "low or no income", and "ready to put up with low-comfort travel" as well as "elderly people with low regular income" as its primary markets.

Orenair (R2, Orenburg (REN)) and S7 Airlines (S7, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo (OVB)) have been granted limited international traffic rights by the Russian Ministry of Transport who are seeking to break the monopoly Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO)) currently holds on some routes to Finland and Poland. S7 is set to become the second designated-Russian carrier after Aeroflot on the Moscow to Helsinki Vantaa (HEL) route with seven weekly flights. S7 has also been granted rights to operate 14 weekly flights between Moscow and Warsaw Fryderyk Chopin (WAW) as well as seven weekly flights between Moscow and Kraków John Paul II International (KRK), formerly the sole preserve of Aeroflot and LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Fryderyk Chopin (WAW)). Similarly, another Russian carrier, Orenair (R2, Orenburg (REN)), has been granted rights to launch flights from the Black Sea resort town of Adler/Sochi (AER) to Helsinki, Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) and Stockholm Arlanda (ARN), as well as to London, Hanover (HAJ), Madrid Barajas (MAD), Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), Bratislava Milan Rastislav Stefánik (BTS) and Zurich Kloten (ZRH). Russia's MoT says the move to open up traffic rights to other Russian operators is intended to help foster competition and ultimately help drive down fares.

Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO)) has announced plans to transfer some of its Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO) flights, to Moscow Vnukovo International (VKO) during Winter 2013/14 as a result of "infrastructural limitations at Sheremetyevo Airport." While no details have been divulged, an Aeroflot spokesman said an announcement would be made "after May 15". The airline is expected to mainly move its leisure-bound routes, that don't connect with other flights, to Vnukovo. Last year, Transaero Airlines (UN, Moscow Domodedovo International (DME)), too, transferred some of its flights from Moscow Domodedovo International (DME) to Vnukovo due to capacity issues.

Uzbekistan Airways (HY, Tashkent Yuzhny (TAS)) will not have to worry about an impending embargo of its Russia-bound flights following the recent resolution of an impasse between Uzbekistan and Russia over unpaid airline remittances. According to Uzmetronom, in anticipation of a visit to Moscow by Uzbek strongman, Islam Karimov, on April 15, Tashkent has moved “to pay all outstanding debts owed to Russian airlines” that were previously withheld as a result of Uzbek currency restrictions. Had the payments not been made, Moscow had threatened to ban all Uzbek flights to Russia, though surprisingly Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO)) and Transaero Airlines (UN, Moscow Domodedovo International (DME)) are quoted as saying they would have added capacity on their Uzbekistan-bound flights had the embargo come into effect.

Transaero Airlines (UN, Moscow Domodedovo International (DME)) will take delivery of 12 new B737-800s between 2015 and 2016 as part of a lease deal with Russia's largest bank, Sberbank. Speaking in Washington, D.C. at the signing ceremony with Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)), Sberbank CEO, Herman Gref, said that the Transaero deal was only the first step in a much larger plan which will ultimately see the purchase of 100 aircraft, mostly 737s, over the next ten years. Graf said the next order would likely to be for 30-50 aircraft with Sberbank currently holding talks with Russian airlines such as Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO)) and "several others" regarding possible lease-deals. For its part, Boeing projects demand for "1,000 commercial aircraft in Russia over the next 20 years." Transaero currently already operates 11 second hand B737-800s and is about to add two more ex-Air Europa (UX, Palma de Mallorca Son Sant Joan (PMI)) and Luxair (LG, Luxembourg Findel International (LUX)) aircraft shortly.