By 2023, the cost of an economy class ticket will increase by 24.5% per thousand flight kilometers.
In Russia, the prices for plane tickets in the Russian Federation have increased significantly. The reason for this is Western sanctions, which have hit Russian civil aviation and cut off carriers from repairs and spare parts for aircraft. This was reported by the Moscow Times.
According to Rosstat, in 2023, the cost of an economy class ticket will increase by 24.5% per thousand kilometers of flight. The increase in prices for air travel has been unprecedented since 2008, when, amid the global financial crisis and the collapse of the ruble, carriers raised prices by an average of 33.5%.
It was noted that almost two years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, air tickets in Russia became more expensive by 48.4%, and last year the price increase accelerated: in 2022 it reached 19.2%.
Reportedly, injections from the budget initially helped contain prices for passengers: last year, the government allocated 170 billion rubles to carriers to subsidize ticket prices. But last summer, the money’s effect on the budget dried up, and airlines began to pass higher costs on to prices, experts said.
Also, companies’ costs are rising as it becomes increasingly difficult for them to find spare parts to repair the airliners that are breaking down one after another. In January-November last year, according to the Federal Air Transport Agency, 670 accidents were recorded in the country, of which 400 were related to equipment failure, including engines. Since the beginning of 2024, at least seven aircraft of Russian airlines have been damaged during flight.
Airline costs, including those related to the need to import spare parts. In particular, the costs of a large airline on fuel increased by an average of a quarter, and on fleet maintenance by one and a half times.
According to analysts, the continuation of the aviation industry in the Russian Federation is impossible without new aircraft. However, it was impossible to buy Western aircraft, and the domestic production program was stalled. Factories in 2023 were able to assemble only two civilian airliners.
In 2024, air ticket prices are expected to continue to increase by at least 10%.
We remind you that in Russian civil aviation on Monday, January 15, two emergencies occurred simultaneously. These cases were added to the incidents on January 12, when Pobeda Airlines suffered three breakdowns in six hours.
It has also been reported that the Russian airline S7 Airlines will reduce the number of flight crew in Moscow, and will also cut the employees of the capital’s office.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.