Quantcast

Russia may reappear on cruise itineraries by 2026: NCLH CEO says

Travelers are taking extreme measures and using hacks to avoid airline baggage fees
Pigeons Cause Chaos on Delta Flight
United Airlines’ Uniforms Get A Facelift—And A Political Filter
United Continues to Face Catering Chaos at San Francisco
Passenger Stows Away on Delta Flight from New York to Paris
Wizz Air becomes first airline to operate P&W-powered Airbus A321XLR jet
Hawaiian Airlines’ new ‘no show’ policy may make travel more expensive
BLIMP-SE OF THE FUTURE Luxury zeppelins of the future from ‘flying bum’ world’s largest aircraft to Google billionaire’s ‘impossible’ airship
Swiss Startup SmartFlyer Develops Hybrid-Electric Trainer
San Francisco-based entrepreneur takes a trip on India's worst-rated airline, his reaction will surprise you
First-Time Flyer at 81: A Grandmother's Memorable Journey
Ryanair forecasts fare rebound as consumers recover from interest-rate hit
Global Airlines Launches Inaugural Flight, Aiming to Revive 'Golden Age of Travel'
Winning routes: American Airlines adds more than 22,000 seats for football fans following release of 2025–2026 pro schedule
Boeing scores Middle East plane deal during Trump visit
Air travel will be ‘worse’ this summer, lawmakers warn — as FAA gives infuriating update on system fixes, staffing issues
Qatar Airways places record $96 billion Boeing order amid Trump visit
United Airlines CEO Reassures Passengers About Newark Airport Safety
American Testing Tech to Help Passengers Make Connecting Flights
British Airways to use AI in efforts to improve operations
American Airlines Tests New Tech to Help Passengers With Tight Connections During Summer Rush
Flight Diverted After Pregnant Woman on Board Goes into Labor and Delivers Her Baby: Report
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says "this is the most optimistic I've been in my entire career about finally getting the FAA fixed"
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Unveils Plan to Build Brand New, State-of-the-Art Air Traffic Control System
Passenger rushing for next flight can't believe what woman next to her does
Why fuel price crash won’t make flying cheaper
Kristi Noem says travelers without Real ID will still be able to fly after deadline
Frontier Airlines Announces New Routes Launching This Summer, Connecting Baltimore With Chicago O’Hare and Trenton, N.J. With Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Airlines in North America prioritize investments in cyber, AI
The evolution of the airline uniform — a cross check
Russia may reappear on cruise itineraries by 2026: NCLH CEO says
Research
Webp 8862bxqdet14yg52yl0ojhsr7qer
Ashley Kosciolek Senior cruise writer | The Points Guy

Will cruise ships once again call on Russia as part of their Baltic and Northern Europe itineraries? It might happen sooner than expected, according to one cruise line executive.

Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), indicated that ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleets might see St. Petersburg added back to their schedules as soon as 2026.

Sommer shared this information during NCLH's fourth-quarter 2024 earnings call Thursday. "In our summer '26 deployment, we have one-third of our fleet — 11 ships — that are going to be based in Northern Europe, and that's without St. Petersburg being available," Sommer said. "If St. Petersburg was to become available for the summer '26 season, I think... we could disproportionately benefit from positive things in that region. Of course, as a human being, I hope for peace for purely humanitarian reasons, but as a cruise operator, we think this could provide us a unique opportunity for the summer of '26 or... the summer of '27. "

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, cruise lines scrapped calls on Russian ports and sometimes completely canceled their Baltic seasons.

This past week saw discussions between the U.S. and Russia regarding terms of a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Several international government officials suggested that an end to the Russia-Ukraine war might be near.

Sommer raised the topic in response to a question about recent statements by Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who said he would make efforts to increase taxes paid by cruise lines to the U.S. Sommer refrained from speculating on what more taxes would mean for the industry but highlighted potential positive changes from the current administration.

"Considering how many moving pieces there are... it's really hard for us to speculate on what this would mean to us, so I won't," Sommer said. "But I will say that I'd be remiss if I didn't point out some of the positive things that are coming out of the administration. I think this push for sustained peace in the Middle East and potentially between Ukraine and Russia can be a significant tailwind for us in 2026."

Sommer also noted that they would consider adding Israel calls back onto cruise schedules if geopolitical conditions improve. However, even if conditions turn favorable soon, a return to Israel is unlikely before 2027 due to logistical challenges compared with adding back ports like St. Petersburg.

"The Middle East is a little more complicated because that's part of a deployment program where we position ships between the summer and winter," said Sommer. "So we would not change our deployment to take advantage of a Red Sea Middle Eastern opening in short term; that would be more of a '27 item."

Ships sailing in the Middle East often spend time there between their summer and winter seasons.

During the earnings call, Sommer also mentioned that NCLH brands have not seen any decline in booking confidence due to current political climate conditions, within-the-U.S..

"The week-of-the-election was challenging week-as-it-is every four years-but- that's one-out-of-two-hundred-weeks-so-we-don't necessarily worry-about-that," said-Sommer-"I-think-since-then-we've-seen-normal-patterns-nothing-really- extraordinary-positive-or-negative-since-the-election-has-occurred"

NCLH's booking numbers remain strong with highest growth-in-company-history- according-to-Sommer-Its-overall-net-yield-was-up-ten-percent-in-twenty-twenty- four-and-projected-revenue-in-twenty-twenty-five-is-expected-to-top-ten-billion- dollars Additionally across-three-brands-thirteen-new-ships-are-on-order- scheduled-for-delivery-over-next-decade

Organizations Included in this History
More News

In October 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X. Musk, who described himself as a "free speech absolutist," aimed to relax the platform's policies on hate speech and disinformation.

Jun 22, 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires the air traffic control (ATC) tower at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to have 60 controllers.

Jun 22, 2025

The head of Airbus’ Canadian operations has projected that a stretched version of the A220, referred to as the A220-500, might commence commercial service in the early 2030s.

Jun 22, 2025

There are various announcements passengers dread when flying, including delays or cancellations.

Jun 22, 2025

The Boeing 777X, the latest aircraft from the US planemaker, is set to make its debut with the Boeing 777-9 next year.

Jun 22, 2025

United Airlines has announced an expansion of its flight capacity to Dublin Airport in 2026, marking a significant increase in its transatlantic offerings.

Jun 22, 2025