Swedish travel startup helps Russians to escape

Since the Russian mobilization, searches and bookings have more than doubled on the Russian language site of Malmö based Swedish startup Avionero, which helps travelers to find trips. The company offers functionality well suited for the people who are desperately trying to leave the country.

The elite in control of the country aren’t looking for cheap tickets abroad, ordinary people are trying to escape the regime and the war. Since the start of the mobilization, we have seen searches from Russia skyrocket. The data shows that people are trying to leave Russia to go anywhere, particularly to Asia. We happen to have a functionality that suits this particular need very well, Avionero CEO and founder Lars Kristensson says.

Avionero’s online search engine helps travelers to book every component of a travel experience: the trip itself, accommodation and events at the destination. The service is also unique in offering searches such as “anywhere in Asia” in real time with flexible points in time. While most European destinations are closed to Russian travelers, several destinations in Asia remain open.

The service is currently available in twelve languages, including Russian, but the Russian site has not been marketed for several years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine. Lars Kristensson is unaware of how Russian men have found the site, but pledges to keep it open to enable more to escape and thus weaken the Russian army.

Here at Avionero, we all support Ukraine when the country defends itself against the Russian aggression. If we can pull our weight and assist in ending the war sooner by making sure Putin has fewer soldiers in his army, we’re happy to do it, Lars Kristensson says.