Russian airlines turned to FAS due to increased airport fees

The complaint claims that rate changes are made arbitrarily, both in absolute value and frequency. At the same time, the increase in the prices of services is carried out without a justified relationship with their real cost, the complaint states.

At the same time, the proportion of services whose rates are not regulated by the State reaches 75%.

Therefore, at Chita airport all these services are more expensive than in Blagoveshchensk. For example, refueling an airplane with drinking water costs three times more, maintaining toilets, accepting and leaving an airplane, providing a ladder and transporting passengers costs 2-2.5 times more. Other services at Chita airport are 30-60% more expensive.

At Kemerovo airport, in-flight meal delivery will cost twice as much as at Novokuznetsk airport. And in Perm some services are four times more expensive than in Kazan.

At Murmansk airport, refueling a plane with water will cost eight times more than at Surgut airport. And in Mineralnye Vody the cost of services is higher than in neighboring Sochi.

Possible solutions

The AEVT proposes to the FAS to verify the economic viability of the tariffs at Russian airports. The association also considers it necessary to provide some airports with government support. This applies to airports, “whose unprofitability will become evident in the conditions of compliance with the procedure for the formation of tariff values.”

Additionally, the association proposes limiting rate reviews to no more than once a year and “no more than 1.5 times the official inflation rate.”

According to the AEVT, regulated tariffs should not increase at all. Furthermore, the association proposes, even in the planning phase of investment projects for the reconstruction of air ports, to “avoid excessive investments” and involve airlines in the debate.