How to Book Flights to Russia in 2026: Where to Search and Pay with a Foreign Card

If you are planning a trip to Russia from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, or anywhere in Europe, you have probably hit a confusing double block: Skyscanner, Momondo and Kayak no longer show flights to Moscow, and when you go directly to Aeroflot’s website your Visa or Mastercard is rejected at checkout. The flights do exist, the routes are operating normally, and you can pay for them with a foreign card. In this article I’ll walk you through the exact flow I use myself: which search engine actually shows the flights, which platforms accept your card without trouble, and how to get the best price.

Before getting into the details, one quick clarification: since March 2022 there are no direct flights between Russia and the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, Japan or South Korea. The airspace is closed in both directions because of international sanctions.

The only European exception is Serbia: Air Serbia operates direct flights between Belgrade and Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sochi. For everyone else, flying to Russia means at least one stopover in a third country. The most-used hubs are Istanbul (Turkish Airlines, Pegasus), Dubai (Emirates, FlyDubai), Doha (Qatar Airways), Abu Dhabi (Etihad), Belgrade (Air Serbia), Yerevan (FlyOne, Aeroflot), Baku (Azerbaijan Airlines), Cairo (EgyptAir), Casablanca (Royal Air Maroc) and Algiers (Air Algérie). Further down I’ll explain how to choose the hub that works best for you in terms of price and convenience depending on where you are flying from.

The double block: why Skyscanner doesn’t show flights to Russia and Russian websites reject your card

Let’s start with the context, because understanding the problem will save you wasting time on platforms that simply will not work.

The big Western flight search engines (Skyscanner, Momondo, Kayak, Google Flights) decided after the 2022 international sanctions to stop showing flights to Russia. If you search for “London — Moscow”, “New York — Moscow” or “Sydney — Saint Petersburg” on any of them, you’ll get “no results”. It’s not that the planes have disappeared: the routes are flying, the airlines are selling tickets, the planes take off every day. Those search engines have simply removed Russia from their results.

The second block is the payment side. Russian airlines — Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Pobeda, Ural Airlines — do show their flights, but they no longer accept Visa or Mastercard cards issued outside Russia. If you find a flight on their official website, your foreign card will be automatically declined at checkout. This is a side effect of Visa and Mastercard pulling out of the Russian market in March 2022.

The solution is to separate the search from the purchase: use a search engine that does show flights to Russia, then buy from an airline or agency that does accept your card. That is exactly what we are going to do.

Aviasales: the search engine that does show flights to Russia

Aviasales is the Russian equivalent of Skyscanner. It has been running since 2007, aggregates results from more than 700 airlines, and works with 15 online travel agencies. The useful part: it indexes every route to and within Russia, including those operated by Russian airlines.

Three things to know before starting:

• The interface is available in English, Spanish, Russian and many other languages. You can switch the currency in the settings to euros, US dollars, pounds or whatever you prefer.
• Aviasales does not sell tickets directly. When you pick a flight, it redirects you to the airline’s website or to an online agency that does sell it. That is where the next step kicks in.
• It works equally well for international flights (London — Moscow with a stopover) and for domestic flights inside Russia (Moscow — Sochi, Saint Petersburg — Kazan, Moscow — Irkutsk).

My recommendation when using it: type your origin and destination, set your dates (or click “cheapest month” if you have flexibility), filter by stopovers — maximum one — and sort by price. Once you select a flight, you’ll see a list of platforms offering the same ticket at slightly different prices. That is where the interesting part begins.

Where to buy the ticket: platforms that accept your foreign card

When you click “Buy” on Aviasales for a route to Russia, you typically see between 8 and 12 different options. For example, on a New York — Moscow search with a stopover in Istanbul you may see Pegasus Airlines (direct), OneTwoTrip, Wingie, Turna.com, Ubfly, Kupi.com, City.Travel, Wowtickets, Smartflight and others, with price differences of 100 € or more for the very same ticket. Prices change constantly depending on availability and season, but the cast of players is fairly consistent.

Not all of these options are equally reliable, and not all of them work equally well for Russia. After trying several and reading hundreds of reviews, this is the order I recommend.

1. Buy directly on the airline’s website

When Aviasales shows you an option labelled “Directly from Pegasus Airlines”, “TurkishAirlines.com”, “AirSerbia.com”, “QatarAirways.com” or similar, that is always my first choice. The official websites of non-Russian airlines (Pegasus, Turkish Airlines, Air Serbia, FlyDubai, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Royal Air Maroc, EgyptAir, Air Algérie, Uzbekistan Airways, Azerbaijan Airlines) accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express foreign cards without any issue.

Why this is my first choice:

• If something goes wrong (cancellation, delay, schedule change), you deal directly with the airline, no middlemen, no slow third-party customer support.
• Online check-in is usually smoother and the booking goes straight into the airline’s own system. If you hold a frequent-flyer card (Miles & Smiles for Turkish, BolBol for Pegasus, Privilege Club for Qatar, etc.) you also earn miles automatically.
• No agency fees. Prices are transparent and tend to be competitive against the agencies.

Important: this only works for non-Russian airlines. For Aeroflot, S7, Pobeda, Ural or Azimuth you will not be able to buy on the airline’s own website with your foreign card, because they reject it. For those, move on to the next option.

2. OneTwoTrip

OneTwoTrip is a Russian online travel agency that doubles as a search engine and a seller. It is the most solid option whenever buying directly from the airline is not viable: mainly for flights operated by Russian carriers (Aeroflot, S7, Pobeda, Ural, Azimuth) and for domestic flights within Russia.

What makes it especially useful:

• It accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express issued outside Russia without problems. There are reports from travellers who have paid with US, UK, Canadian, Australian and European cards on routes such as Moscow — Kaliningrad, Istanbul — Moscow or Moscow — Sochi without issues.
• It sells tickets for Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Pobeda, Ural Airlines, Azimuth and also Turkish, Pegasus, Air Serbia and many others. Its catalogue of Russian carriers is one of the broadest on the market.
• It works very well for domestic flights inside Russia (Moscow—Sochi, Saint Petersburg—Kazan, Moscow—Irkutsk), where you have very few alternatives because the official airline websites reject your card.
• The interface is available in English, Spanish, German and other languages. Customer support via chat and email is reasonably responsive.

3. The Turkish platforms: Wingie, Turna, Ubfly

Three Turkish online travel agencies that show up a lot in Aviasales results with competitive prices. All three accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express, often offer discounts compared to the airline’s direct price, and operate normally. The catch is that the reviews are very mixed:

• Wingie has 2.1 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Some users report tickets that never get issued despite an email confirmation, and 40% cancellation fees even when it is the airline that cancels the flight.
• Turna.com has 1.6 out of 5. Positive reviews are scarce but exist. The negative ones complain mostly about slow or absent refunds.
• Ubfly has 1.5 out of 5 and is the most problematic of the three according to reviews. Customer service in Turkish only, refunds stuck in limbo and unilateral cancellations.

My advice if you still want to use them: only if the saving against the direct airline option or against OneTwoTrip is at least 50 €, and always verify the booking with the airline immediately after paying (log into the carrier’s website with your booking reference and check that the ticket has actually been issued). If you’re saving 5 or 10 euros, it’s not worth the risk.

4. The rest: Kupi, City.Travel, Wowtickets, Smartflight

These tend to appear at the bottom of Aviasales with slightly higher prices. They all accept foreign cards and operate normally, but the service quality is uneven and the reviews are not as solid. Here they are, in case you come across them:

• Kupi.com works mostly with Russian, Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines. It accepts foreign cards but the reviews are scarce and mixed.
• City.Travel and Wowtickets are smaller agencies. The latter has worrying reviews about automatic overnight cancellations.
• Smartflight typically appears in the lower positions. Useful only when nothing else has availability.

A note on Trip.com

Trip.com was for years one of the most recommended options for booking flights to Russia with a foreign card. However, since early 2026 Trip.com has stopped showing and selling flights to Russia when accessed from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the European Union and most Western markets: searches return “no availability” messages even though the routes are still operating. If Aviasales redirects you to Trip.com from any of these countries, you will find that the ticket can no longer be purchased there. It only still works with a VPN from places like Mexico, Japan or South Korea.

How much do flights to Russia cost in 2026

Prices change constantly, but here are the actual ranges I’m seeing in 2026 (all of them round-trip, based on what readers of this blog and travellers I’ve talked to are paying). Prices vary a lot depending on departure city and how far in advance you book, so take these as a reference. I quote everything in euros for consistency, but figures translate directly to pounds and US dollars at the exchange rate of the day.

From the United States or Canada — Moscow

• NYC / Boston / Washington via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines): 1,700-2,100 € round-trip in summer (June-July-August), 1,300-1,700 € in shoulder season, 1,000-1,400 € in low season. Daily flights from JFK, EWR, IAD and BOS.
• NYC / LAX / SFO via Doha (Qatar Airways): 1,500-1,900 € round-trip in summer, 1,200-1,600 € in shoulder season. Decent stopover at Hamad International (around 3 hours), and the option of a free Qatar stopover on longer waits.
• JFK / LAX via Dubai (Emirates) or Abu Dhabi (Etihad): 1,700-2,300 € round-trip in summer, 1,400-1,800 € in shoulder season. Etihad sometimes runs aggressive promotions out of JFK; longer stopovers (often 7 hours or more) but the free Abu Dhabi/Dubai stopover programmes can turn it into a small bonus city visit.
• JFK / Toronto via Belgrade (Air Serbia): 1,400-1,800 € round-trip in shoulder season, 1,700-2,100 € in summer. Useful if you don’t want to fly via the Middle East and prefer a single European stopover.
• Aeroflot via Yerevan or Istanbul: around 1,400-1,800 € round-trip from major US hubs. Russia’s flag carrier, comfortable flight, but you can only pay through external platforms because their website rejects foreign cards.

From the United Kingdom or Ireland — Moscow

• London-Stansted / Manchester via Istanbul (Pegasus): 350-500 € round-trip in low season, 600-800 € in summer. Usually the cheapest option from the UK. Note: Pegasus operates out of Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), further from the city centre than the main airport, and limits cabin baggage to 3 kg.
• London-Heathrow / LGW via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines): 500-700 € in shoulder season, 800-1,000 € in summer. More comfortable: modern aircraft, 30 kg of checked baggage, miles programme, free stopover.
• London / Manchester via Belgrade (Air Serbia): 600-850 € round-trip with checked bag, sensible 3-hour stopover. Often the only single-stop European option from the UK.
• London / Dublin via Doha or Dubai: 700-900 € round-trip. Qatar tends to be priced competitively against Turkish on UK routes.
• FlyOne via Yerevan: if you can grab a cheap London-Luton — Yerevan flight with Wizz Air, the combo can come out around 400-600 € round-trip in total.

From Australia, New Zealand or East Asia — Moscow

• Sydney / Melbourne via Doha (Qatar Airways): 1,500-1,900 € round-trip. Long but smooth: a 14-hour leg to Doha and a 5-hour onward to Moscow.
• Sydney / Melbourne via Dubai (Emirates): 1,600-2,000 € round-trip. Same model with a Dubai stopover. Codeshare with Qantas, useful if you collect Frequent Flyer points.
• Singapore / Bangkok / Hong Kong via Istanbul, Doha or Dubai: 800-1,100 € round-trip. From Asian hubs there is more competition and prices are noticeably lower.

From continental Europe — Moscow

• Pegasus via Istanbul-SAW from Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Paris or Amsterdam: 600-800 € round-trip in summer, 300-450 € in low season. Usually the cheapest option.
• Turkish Airlines via Istanbul-IST: 500-700 € in shoulder season, 800-1,000 € in summer. More comfortable, daily flights from most major European cities.
• Air Serbia via Belgrade: 700-900 € round-trip with checked bag, sensible 3-hour stopover. The only single-stop European option for non-EU airspace passengers.
• Etihad via Abu Dhabi and Qatar Airways via Doha: 700-900 € round-trip. They have gained a lot of market share in 2026 because they sometimes beat the Turkish carriers on price.

Saint Petersburg

There are fewer routes to Saint Petersburg than to Moscow and prices are slightly higher. Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and Air Serbia are the most reliable carriers; from the US, Qatar and Emirates work well via Doha or Dubai. Typical ranges from a major European hub: 700-900 € with Pegasus or Air Serbia, 900-1,200 € with Turkish or Qatar. From the US or Canada add roughly 800-1,000 € to those ranges. An interesting alternative in high season: fly to Tallinn or Riga with a low-cost European carrier (often 100-300 € round-trip) and cross the border by bus into Saint Petersburg, which often comes out cheaper than the direct flight to Pulkovo. I cover that route in detail in how to take a bus to Saint Petersburg from Tallinn and Riga.

Domestic flights inside Russia

If your plan involves multiple destinations within Russia, domestic flights are cheap: Moscow—Sochi 80-150 €, Moscow—Kazan 60-120 €, Moscow—Saint Petersburg 50-100 €, Moscow—Irkutsk 200-300 € (8,000 km, longer than London—Moscow). These flights can also be booked through Aviasales with a foreign card.

Money-saving tip: if your final destination is not Moscow, look for a direct ticket to that Russian city with a stopover in Istanbul. For example, a London — Istanbul — Kazan with Turkish can come out around 650 € round-trip, versus 1,000 € for a London — Istanbul — Moscow. For less money you arrive closer to your destination and you save the cost of an extra domestic flight.

Strategies to find the best price

The main trick to flying cheaply to Russia is not so much finding the cheapest platform as choosing the right date and route. These are the five rules I always follow.

Book several months in advance

The cheapest tickets I have found are always the ones I book several months ahead. Prices climb sharply in the final weeks before departure, especially if your dates fall in high season or on a weekend. Booking a full year ahead doesn’t really pay off either: airlines typically open competitive fares from around the 5-6 month mark.

Avoid high season (June, July and August)

Summer is when prices peak: in July-August a London — Moscow can easily climb above 1,000 € round-trip with Turkish, and a JFK — Moscow above 2,000 €. The best balance of weather and price is in late September, October and May: pleasant weather and 500-700 € round-trip ranges from Europe (or 1,300-1,700 € from the US). If price is your only criterion, February, March and November is when you’ll find the best deals, sometimes below 400 € round-trip with Pegasus or FlyOne from European hubs.

Fly midweek

Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday flights tend to be cheaper than Friday and Sunday ones. The difference can be 50 to 150 € each way in shoulder season. If you’re traveling for tourism and you can pick your days, time your departure for a Wednesday and your return for a Saturday.

Filter stopovers by duration

On Aviasales you can filter by stopover length. My sweet spot is 2 to 4 hours: enough not to panic if your first flight is delayed, not so long that you get bored at the airport.

• 1-hour stopovers are a trap: if your first plane is late, you miss the second. At big airports like Istanbul, Dubai or Doha, even a one-hour layover is rarely enough to cross terminals.
• Stopovers of more than 6 hours are tedious and sometimes force you to pay for a hotel if they fall overnight. Caveat: with Turkish Airlines, a layover longer than 6 hours qualifies you for a free hotel under the Stopover programme — there the maths flips.
• Avoid flights with more than one stopover: they may look cheap but they stretch the trip to 16-20 hours and increase the risk of lost baggage.

Consider combining two separate tickets

Sometimes it is much cheaper to buy two separate tickets than a single connecting ticket. For example, a low-cost flight from your home city to Istanbul (often around 100-200 € round-trip in promotion) and then Istanbul — Moscow with Pegasus (300-400 € round-trip) can come out to 500-600 €, versus the 700-900 € of a combined ticket. Caveat: if you miss the first flight, you have no automatic re-protection on the second. Leave at least 4-5 hours between the two flights, and consider a travel insurance policy that covers delays.

An interesting variation: many Western airlines have codeshare agreements with the carriers that fly into Russia. United and Turkish Airlines share codes, so a New York — Moscow with Turkish may have the first leg JFK — Istanbul operated by United on a wide-body aircraft. British Airways and Qatar Airways, American Airlines and Etihad, Qantas and Emirates all have similar arrangements. Worth knowing because the comfort and baggage rules of the operating carrier apply to your leg, not those of the airline that sold you the ticket — and that can flip the calculation either way.

If you want to start searching for your flight right now, here is the direct link to Aviasales with the currency set to euros and the interface in English.

If you are entering Russia overland and want to look at alternatives to flying (bus from Tallinn or Riga, border crossing from Norway or Azerbaijan, etc.), have a look at the guide on borders to Russia: it covers every air, land and sea route currently open.

Frequently asked questions