MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the government to take steps for the redevelopment of aviation in the vast country’s furthest flung regions, according to a notice on the government website Wednesday.
Russia has struggled in recent years to meet demand for air transportation in some hard-to-reach spots as Soviet-produced aircraft gradually come to the end of their service life.
According to the government statement, Medvedev has approved rules to subsidize airline carriers operating in the regions for the period between 2014 and 2016.
He also ordered government officials to find ways in which airports in the Far East could be better linked to one another.
The Transportation Ministry has been instructed to estimate by month’s end how many maximum-72-seat turbo-prop aircraft will be needed by airlines.
Civil aviation development forecast up to 2029
Ascertaining the right type of planes to cater to such a large area complicates issues. Aircraft used to provide for flyers in remote areas need to be robust enough to meet basic safety requirements, while they cannot be so big as to cost excessive amounts to operate.
Over the past several years, the government has included the revival of local aviation services among its key priorities, and has started a program to redevelop local airports and subsidize regional air services.