the authorities may introduce a fee due to the risk of airline bankruptcy

The Ministry of Transport of Russia is again considering Rostec’s proposal to introduce a passenger fee in case of bankruptcy of airlines or emergency cancellation of flights. This was reported by Kommersant.

We are talking about an additional fee from air passengers when issuing tickets, the amount of which has not yet been determined. The idea of ​​the “Passenger Support Reserve Fund” appeared in 2021. In June, the Ministry of Transport informed the airlines that it was studying the possibility of creating a “national system of mutual settlements in air transport” with the help of a single operator – the company “Aviagarant”.

The source of the publication in the top-5 airlines in Russia clarified that the possibility of transferring 300 rubles per passenger to the fund is now being discussed. In his opinion, the creation of the fund “will inevitably lead to an increase in the cost of air tickets” and a reduction in passenger traffic, which will ultimately affect not only the business of airlines, but also the aviation industry. The obligations of airlines and the responsibility for their non-fulfillment are already enshrined in the Aviation and Civil Codes, the second interlocutor of “Kommersant” emphasized.

In 2022, nine Russian airlines stopped flying, and four remained with operator certificates. In most cases, the termination of flights is connected with sanctions due to the war in Ukraine. After cancellation, the operator’s certificate is not restored. In the previous five years, five companies were left with the certificate. At the beginning of 2023, there were 114 carriers in the Rosaviatsia register, with two-thirds of the passenger traffic provided by the five largest companies.

• In February 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and other countries restricted the flights of Russian airlines. The EU and the USA banned the export to Russia of goods and technologies for the aviation and space sectors, and also banned the insurance and maintenance of goods related to these industries. At the end of December 2022, the Russian government allowed the removal of spare parts from some aircraft to repair others.
• The cost of economy class air travel in Russia has reached its maximum since 2000, reports RBC with reference to Rosstat. According to Rosstat, it amounts to almost seven thousand rubles per thousand kilometers of track. Compared to May 2022, the price increased by 28%, and since the beginning of 2023 – by 32%.