Information agency Credinform prepared a ranking of Russian travel agencies on the return on sales. The companies with highest volume of revenue were selected for this investigation according to data from the Statistical Register for the latest available period (for the year 2012). Then, the first 10 enterprises selected by turnover were ranked by decrease in the value of return on sales.

Return on sales ratio is calculated as the relation of operating income (before-tax income) to turnover and is an indicator of the pricing policy of a company, presenting its ability to monitor its costs. Negative values of the indicator testify that expenses of an enterprise exceed revenues from sales of products, what is an unfavorable trend. Recommended value of the indicator varies depending on the industry.

Tourism plays an increasingly prominent role in the global economics. According to estimations of the experts, the market volume of outbound tourism in Russia has increased more than 2,5-fold for last 10 years, and the average annual growth has made 10,5%. High growth rates are explained first of all by the growth in prosperity of citizens.

The turnover of the largest TOP-10 travel agencies of Russia made 23 013 mln RUB at year-end 2012, what is by 26,13% more, than at year-end 2011.

The first place of the ranking on return on sales belongs to AgentstvoDAVS CJSC with the indicator value 17,32%, that testifies to an efficient cost control by the side of the management. It should be noted that the company rounds out the TOP-10 on turnover. Besides that the enterprise got a high solvency index GLOBAS-i®, what characterizes it as financially stable.

In total more than half from TOP-10 companies of the ranking showed positive values of return on sales. Including the leader on turnover – Versa LLC with the ratio value 0,85%. In spite of the fact that company’s revenues exceed its expenses, the management should take a set of measures, focused on the increase of the effectiveness of cost control. However, on the combination of financial and non-financial characteristics, the enterprise got the highest solvency index GLOBAS-i®, what characterizes it as the most attractive for business cooperation.

The second company on turnover – FIRMA NEVA CJSC – took only the 8th line in the ranking, with the return on sales (-0,96%), what testifies that company’s expenses exceed revenues from sales of products. However, on the combination of financial and non-financial indicators, the enterprise got a high solvency index GLOBAS-i®.

Along with FIRMA NEVA CJSC two more companies of the branch have negative value of the return on sales: SVOI TUR I TREVEL LLC (-3,29%) and Vodohod’ LLC (-4,47%), what testifies to an inefficient cost management. Both companies got a satisfactory solvency index GLOBAS-i®. For the retention of market stability and the assurance of opportunities for further development these enterprises should pay more attention to the return on sales, as well as manage their liability structure more efficiently.

In spite of visible stagnation of the domestic economy, Russian airports show impressive growth rates of the amount of passengers in service. At the end of January-November 2013 the passenger traffic of the largest Russian air harbor - Moscow Domodedovo Airport - was 28,7 mln people, that is by 10% more than for the similar period of the previous year.

Being on the second place by the same index - Sheremetyevo International Airport (Moscow), has increased the passenger traffic by 11,7% to 27,14 mln people according to the results of 11 months of the year 2013.

The airport Pulkovo (Saint-Petersburg) has served fir the same period 12 mln people, that is by 15,3% more than the index of the similar period of the year 2012.
One more capital airport Vnukovo has got past the point of 10 mln people: 10,3 mln passengers have made use of hub’s services for the period under review, that is by 14,1% more than the index of the year 2012.

Now therefore, all three Moscow airports – Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, as well as St. Petersburg airport Pulkovo present double-digit growth rates of the amount of accepted passengers, what leads to the conclusion that the mobility of our citizens is growing from year to year.

Moscow air hub (Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo) being the largest one in Eastern Europe served 63,9 mln passengers in 2012, and for January-November of the current year – already 66,1 mln people. Besides Domodedovo, following the results of 2012, was on the 11th place in Europe, Sheremetyevo – on the 13th.

Pulkovo will set a new record for itself this year – for the first time in its history it will overrun the rate of 12 mln people. The only one airport of the Northern Capital was on the 36th place in Europe in 2012.

The largest airport beyond Moscow and Saint-Petersburg is Koltsovo (Ekaterinburg), which served the 4 millionth passenger on the 19th of December, that is also a record for it for all its modern history.

Other participants of the TOP-10 also set maximum, for all post-communist time, values by number of served passengers – these are airports of Novosibirsk, Krasnodar, Sochi, Ufa and Krasnoyarsk.

Total for 2012 ten airports of the country served 90,3 mln people (75,4% of the total passenger traffic), that is more by 13,2% than in 2011, besides the share of Moscow air hub among TOP-10 reaches the level of 71%. This figure proves the fact that a great number of air travel directions are concentrated and closed on Moscow, especially international. It is no surprise in Russia, that by the flight from Chelyabinsk to Yakutsk you’ll have to transfer at Moscow. It is necessary to develop a network of regional air transportations, including to those countries of the world, which are in demand with local population.

Picture 1. Passenger traffic dynamics of TOP-10 airports of Russia

According to the information and analytical system Globas-i® of the Agency Credinform there was an unequal increase of turnover by TOP-10 airports in 2012. Sheremetyevo International airport succeeded in its increasing most of all – by 66% to 15,2 bln RUB. Mainly it is connected with opening of a newly built terminal D and switching of a part of flights, including governmental, from Vnukovo (in view of closing of the second runway for reconstruction). 

While in Vnukovo the turnover decreased by about 30%. But after the reconstruction of the airfield complex and recent setting to work of a new terminal A, it is a high probability that the total revenue would show a positive dynamics at current year-end.

Other airport complexes, except Koltsovo (Ekaterinburg), show positive dynamics of turnover.

Cumulative turnover of TOP-10 the largest airports at year-end 2012 reached more than 38,12 bln RUB, went up by 25,9% per annum. According to the independent estimation of financial standing of enterprises provided by the Information Agency Credinform, all organizations of the presented rating reached a high solvency index GLOBAS-i®, that can be considered as a possibility of all companies to pay off their debts in time and fully, while risk of default is minimal or low. From investment point of view the business cooperation with mentioned organizations looks attractive enough and points at a good situation in the air transportation industry in general. Any disastrous decline should not be expected in the nearest time: tourist flow is growing (both outside, and inside), personal incomes, although slowly, but are increasing, which means that a growing number of our citizens can afford travelling by the most convenient transportation vehicle – by aircraft.