YuSMP Travel Editorial Team
From 1 to 11 November 2026, airline Azur Air is launching charter flights to Phuket from 13 Russian cities — the widest route network the carrier has offered on this destination in recent winter seasons. The news matters for travellers who have already booked, or are about to book, a winter trip to Thailand: not every city's flights start on the same date, and frequency varies by route.
Launch schedule by city
Kazan was first to start flying on 1 November, with the rest of the network joining in stages. Confirmed start dates for the larger departure cities, per Azur Air's press service:
Phuket flight launch dates by city (November–December 2026)
| City | Start date |
|---|---|
| Kazan | 1 November |
| Yekaterinburg | 3 November |
| Moscow | 4 November |
| Tyumen | 4 November |
| Krasnoyarsk | 6 November |
| Mineralnye Vody, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Samara, Surgut, Ufa, Chelyabinsk | phased in through 11 November |
| Perm | 1 December |
For the seven cities grouped in the table, an exact launch date hadn't been published separately as of early November — confirm it with your tour operator or Azur Air's sales office when booking.
Flight frequency and route network
Moscow has the highest frequency — three flights every 12 days. Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk fly twice every 12 days, and the remaining cities fly once every 12 days. Combined, Azur Air's Phuket network now covers central Russia, the Volga region, the North Caucasus, the Urals and Siberia — noticeably wider than in previous winters, when several of these routes were served only from major hubs.
Visas, documents and money on Phuket
Thailand's entry rules for Russian citizens changed more than once in 2026, so it's worth checking current conditions before booking — visa-free stay limits, available visa categories and passport requirements are covered in our article "Thailand Visa Rules for Russian Travellers: Entry Requirements in 2026". It's also worth planning payments ahead: which cards and payment methods actually work on Phuket is covered in "How to Pay in Thailand: Cards, QR Codes and Cash".
What to do if you've already booked a January tour
On 3 November, tour operator Anex, which works with Azur Air, trimmed part of its additional winter chains: starting in January, supplementary Phuket flights from Moscow, Samara, Kazan and Ufa were dropped, along with supplementary Pattaya flights from Moscow, Samara, Yekaterinburg and Ufa. These are specific additional departures, not a cancellation of the whole programme — the core 13-city network launched in early November continues to operate. If you've already paid for a January tour departing from one of the listed cities, check with your tour operator which flight now applies instead.
If you're still weighing up resorts in Thailand this winter, our comparison is in "Where to Stay in Thailand: Comparing the Best Resorts", and month-by-month weather for Phuket and nearby resorts is covered in "Thailand Weather by Month: When to Go". To match a flight and hotel to your exact dates, try our destination match tool or browse the destination catalogue.
Sources
- Moscow City News Agency — citing Azur Air's press service, 29 October 2026.
- PRIME (1prime.ru) — 29 October 2026.
- Interfax-Russia — 29 October 2026.
- Polis812.ru — on the trimmed January chains, 3 November 2026.
* Dates and flight frequency are as of 6 November 2026 and may change. Confirm the current schedule with your tour operator before paying.
