SOCHI, August 9 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Deputy Premier Sergei Ivanov suggests prohibiting operation of regular passenger flights by air carriers owing a small number of planes. The deputy premier told reporters on Tuesday he upholds this idea and, moreover, insists that “Rosaviatsia should do this.”
He said “killer companies should not be present on the passenger transportation market.” “Airlines owing fewer than two or four or six planes must not operate on the passenger transportation market,” Ivanov hold. He stressed that this does not apply to charter flights.
According to Ivanov, ten companies carry 98 percent of passengers while 120 companies carry the remaining two percent.”
The deputy premier acknowledged that these measures combined with the withdrawal of the Tu-134 and An-24 aircraft from operation since the beginning of next year may cause problems on local routes. “But killer companies cannot replace a plane; they will be using it to the end until it crashes,” Ivanov said. He recalled that export duties on planes for operation on regional routes with the carrying capacity of 50 passengers had zeroed out in Russia long ago.