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- Take-off addresses: the government plans to make air travel in Russia more accessible
Take-off addresses: the government plans to make air travel in Russia more accessible
At a meeting with the deputy prime ministers, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin noted that the state must strive to further reduce the cost of domestic flights so that they become more accessible to citizens. Which destinations can be included in the flight subsidy program, whether the number of subsidized tickets can increase and how else the authorities can make flights cheaper — in the Izvestia article.
Work priorities
In early 2024, when addressing the Federal Assembly, Vladimir Putin said that by the end of this decade, domestic air transportation should increase by about one and a half times, Ivan Abramov, first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, recalled in an interview with Izvestia. In addition, he demanded that federal and regional authorities take measures to make domestic flight tickets significantly more accessible to the public. The President stressed that the expansion of transport accessibility is directly related to the development of the economy and improving the quality of life. It was also noted that it would be impossible to achieve the set goals without expanding the network of domestic air routes and flexible pricing policy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Federal Assembly on February 29, 2024.
— Now there are two directions — the Far East and Kaliningrad. That's what's needed. As for the routes, they are constantly being updated," the senator noted. — It is quite possible that the number of subsidized tickets will increase. We discuss this issue every year. This year, 24 billion rubles have been allocated for air tickets under the flight subsidy program. We will see if these funds are sufficient. We hope that next year we will be able to allocate more to meet all the needs in existing areas.
According to him, the key direction of aviation development is the regular updating of the aircraft fleet. Priority should be given to domestic aircraft, as they are cheaper to operate, more cost-effective, and reduce dependence on external suppliers and currency fluctuations. At the same time, it is necessary to constantly monitor airport fares in order to avoid unjustified cost increases for carriers. There were also proposals to fix predictable prices for jet fuel, because it is the cost of kerosene that largely forms the final ticket price. In addition, it is important to expand competition: new airlines, including low-cost carriers, should enter the market, which will give passengers more choice.
Such measures can create conditions for the development of interregional routes, especially in hard-to-reach areas, Ivan Abramov emphasized. More affordable flights will contribute to the growth of domestic tourism and strengthen ties between the regions of the federation. Attracting investments in the aircraft industry and infrastructure was also called an important step to achieve the goals set. As a result, the industry's system support will reduce prices and improve the quality of service.
Support formats
Providing subsidies for flights is becoming one of the important tools not only to support domestic tourism, but also to maintain social ties, Peter Shcherbachenko, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, noted in an interview with Izvestia. The Ministry of Transport has decided to continue this program and extended its validity until 2025. The essence of the mechanism is that the government takes over part of the cost of air tickets, making travel in Russia more affordable. The main objectives of the project are related to the growth of regional transportation, the development of domestic tourist traffic and increased mobility of the population.
The directions of the routes are determined annually by the Federal Air Transport Agency, and 303 flights are included in the list for 2025, the expert recalled. Such support helps to develop small and medium-sized airports, creates new jobs and strengthens the economy of the Territories. In addition, regular subsidies give carriers an incentive to expand the geography of flights. In the long term, such initiatives may lead to increased competition among airlines and lower overall ticket prices on the market.
— The subsidy program includes destinations that are of the greatest social importance, namely routes to remote and hard-to-reach regions, as well as popular tourist destinations. It is important to take into account the needs of the population and the level of congestion on existing routes," said Petr Shcherbachenko.
In his opinion, the authorities may consider a number of additional steps to reduce the cost of air travel. It is possible to adjust the tax burden for airlines, which will allow carriers to reduce their own costs. Another measure could be the provision of subsidies for the development of airport infrastructure and ground transportation, as this reduces flight maintenance costs and improves logistics in the long term.
In addition to the universal program of subsidized tickets, there are special preferential categories, the expert recalled. For example, discounts are provided to passengers flying to the Kaliningrad region and the Far East: young people under the age of 23, pensioners, people with disabilities of the first group and their accompanying persons, as well as children with disabilities, people with disabilities from childhood and members of large families. A separate procedure is provided for residents of the Far Eastern Federal District: they have the opportunity to buy discounted tickets for flights from their home region and back. There are also benefits for schoolchildren and teenagers traveling to the Ocean Educational Center in Vladivostok. The discount applies to flights from Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Existing measures to support air transportation are generally effective, but the rapid increase in interest in traveling around the country makes it necessary to expand the list of routes eligible for benefits, the head of the Popular Front told Izvestia. Analytics" by Olga Pozdnyakova. Special attention should be paid to those territories where the development of air services can revitalize the economy, as well as directly affect the standard of living of local residents. Such measures will help reduce the transport isolation of individual regions and create additional incentives for the growth of domestic tourism. In addition, the expansion of the subsidy program will help strengthen interregional ties and increase the mobility of citizens.
"For example, additional subsidies for flights to Altai, Buryatia, Transbaikalia, and Kamchatka will increase the transport mobility of tourists," the expert believes. — But subsidizing flights to the Stavropol Territory or Krasnodar Territory will help the development of the sanatorium industry and make this type of treatment and rehabilitation more accessible. For the northern and Arctic regions, flights are often the only way of logistics, so expanding routes there is also important.
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