Since relations between Russia and West soured in 2014, the number of domestic and international business jet flights has fallen by some 12%, while passenger numbers have plunged by 23% overall. These dramatic figures were presented by Alexander Kuleshov, chairman of the Russian United Business Aviation Association (RUBAA), at a Russian Business Aviation Forum held in Moscow last month. The statistics were based on data from the seven Russian cities that account for more than 80% of business traffic. In 2014 there were more than 50,000 flights, but this figure had fallen to 41,415 in 2016. The influence of foreign carriers is also waning, with a fall of some 32% in the first four months of 2017 over the same period in 2014.