Flights with a surcharge: the Russians will be asked to drop in on new aircraft

The initiative is mentioned in the conclusion of the State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes on the draft federal budget for 2027-2029. The development of the mechanism is engaged in Minpromtorg. The final decision has not been made: the procedure for collection and distribution of funds has yet to be determined.

It is planned to support the delivery of MS-21, Tu-214, SJ-100 and Il-114-300. It is not only about production, but also about leasing, maintenance and repair of machines.

Executive Director of the Agency “AviaPort” Oleg Panteleyev considers the participation of passengers in the renewal of the fleet economically explicable.

- Why should passengers pay for the development of the aviation industry, and not only the state and airlines?

There is no government money, there is taxpayer money. Therefore, it is logical that consumers of services should pay for fleet renewal first of all: passengers and shippers, and not all taxpayers without exception.

The first batch of domestic aircraft will be financed with the assistance of the National Welfare Fund, and for subsequent deliveries it is planned to use loans from commercial banks on market terms. In order for leasing to remain feasible for airlines, the state will cover the difference between the cost of aircraft and the price that provides an acceptable rate with subsidies from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The additional fee should reduce the cost of borrowed funds.

Passengers will contribute part of the amount in advance – 500 or 1000 rubles per segment. This will reduce the leasing burden on carriers: part of the cost of the aircraft will be paid with passengers’ money without interest, the rest will be financed by a bank loan.”.

- How much money will be collected in a year and how much will they cover?

It all depends on passenger traffic, and rates can be revised. Russian airlines carry about 100 million passengers a year: three quarters on domestic routes, a quarter on international routes. This is not enough to fully finance the supply of 258 aircraft, but enough to significantly reduce the lease payment.

Part of the funds can go to maintenance, maintenance of airworthiness and repairs. If the money goes to aircraft manufacturers to develop the service, future costs of carriers will decrease. Expensive loans will partially replace the money of passengers.

- When will passengers see the result and under what conditions can the fee be canceled?

It is difficult to say how long the collection will last. Its appearance is associated with a high key rate. If it were at the level of 2-3%, such instruments would not be needed to finance the supply of aircraft. The aviation industry needs to reduce the cost of cars, and the economy needs to reach more favorable conditions. These two factors will eliminate the fee in its current form.

In the Association of passengers, the initiative is assessed negatively. The chairman of the organization, Ilya Zotov, suggests first using existing funding mechanisms.

- Is it fair to introduce an additional payment for passengers?

Additional fees for passengers in aviation are now unacceptable. There is already a payment for the development of airports and infrastructure. Perhaps his funds can be used to upgrade the aircraft fleet. Instead of a new fee, consider indexing the current one.

Not all airlines will upgrade the fleet, but passengers of all carriers will have to pay. It is more logical to introduce a fee when new aircraft begin to arrive in airline fleets, so that payments and fleet renewal go synchronously.

There is a fear that the collection will appear, and the planes will not appear. Additional costs can increase prices and overlap with the already existing rise in price. Renovating the fleet is an urgent task, but we need to hold a public discussion and consider alternative sources of funding.