In May 2023, the cost of an economy class flight in Russia increased by 28% compared to May 2022, reaching RUB 6,972.36. per 1 thousand km of track, should From Rosstat data. This is the highest value since 2000 (earlier data not available). The previous record is 6892.51 rubles. – the department registered 13 years ago, in August 2010. Airfare prices have increased by 32 percent in the first five months since the beginning of 2023. However, not everyone agrees with these figures.
balance of interest
According to the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and processed by the Ministry of Transport, the increase in the prices of economy class airline tickets sold since January 2023 has exceeded the inflation index forecast by the Bank of Russia for the current year (4.5–6.5). does not exceed. %). Meanwhile at the Ministry of Finance notethat the ministry has not received offers to fix or reduce the cost of airline tickets. According to the data of the same FAS, in April this year, the weighted average air ticket price in Russia increased by 4% compared to April 2022. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport claims that the final airfare price dropped 3% in May compared to April. The transport department calculated that the final cost of tickets in May decreased by 265 rubles, thanks to discounts and promotions.
Meanwhile, airfare prices are still rising. So in May 2019, before the pandemic, a 1,000-kilometer flight could be made for 5,500 rubles. Yes, 27% cheaper than 2023 but more expensive than 2022. “Miracles cannot be expected, we all remember the events of 2020-2022: how the ruble changed against the dollar, how the prices of goods and services rose. During this period, airlines faced very serious difficulties: aviation fuel became more expensive, the cost of owning aircraft increased, the prices for airport services and air navigation increased, and employees had to increase salaries, ”says Oleg Panteleev, general manager of the Aviaport agency. .
He said that for the third year in a row, airlines reflect their extra costs on passengers very slowly. It was impossible to raise prices in 2020: passengers were already flying nowhere due to pandemic measures, if you raise the tariffs, end customers will disperse. A slight increase in prices was outlined in 2021, but airlines “reached the ceiling” – passengers who had not yet recovered from the shock of the pandemic were not ready for an increase in tariffs. In 2022, air carriers received a record support from the state – more than 170 billion rubles, which allowed them to cover losses in previous periods without raising their service prices. And it was only in 2023 that the aviation industry started catching up to shift the rising costs onto customers’ shoulders.
at the end of the list
Are prices rising objectively or not? To answer this question, it is necessary to look at what is happening in aviation-related sectors. Oleg Pantelei notes that in May 2023, compared to May 2019, the price of most train rides and vacations in the sanatorium increased – by 29.3%. The increase in taxi prices was slightly less with 28.7%. At the same time, air carriers are at the bottom of this list, with 26.6% according to Rosstat and even 4% (according to the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Antimonopoly Service).
Of course, many tourists are worried about vacation in Turkey and its cost. Russian Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) allegationCompared to the pre-Kovid years, the average price tag for holidays in Turkey increased by 70-90%, therefore, the tourist flow from the Russian Federation decreased by a third. So the average cost of a 10-night trip to Turkey this summer was 100-115 thousand rubles per person. In 2019, when the volume of tourist flows from Russia to local resorts reached a record seven million people, the price fluctuated around 50-60 thousand rubles. But airlines have nothing to do with it. The main increase in prices brought a jump in the exchange rate and an increase in the cost of living in hotels. Türkiye is now selling at Cuban or Maldives price, states Turkish economy publication, Ekonomi Newspaper.
Is everything really that expensive? To do this, look at the statistics. The average nominal accrued salary of Russians in 2019, according to Rosstat amount of 47 thousand 867 rubles, in 2022 this figure increased to 65 thousand 340 rubles. No more up-to-date data in April 2023, employees accrued already 71 thousand 204 rubles. Thus, only accrued fees from 2019 to 2023 increased by 48.7% and this growth continues. Thus, it can be stated that the increase in wages in the 2020-2023 period is significantly higher than the increase in air travel prices. As a result, air transport is becoming more accessible.
flew
And this has been confirmed by the growth in passenger traffic. In the first five months of 2023, passenger traffic in Russia increased by 21 percent compared to last year. During the May holidays alone, Russian airlines carried 2.75 million passengers. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the growth was close to 30 percent. The Federal Air Transport Agency attributes this to several factors. The first is the improvement of the economic situation in the country and the increasing demand for air travel. Secondly, the development of the domestic aviation market and the increase in the number of regular and charter flights in Russia. Third, the expansion of the international network of Russian airlines and the resumption of flights to some countries suspended due to the pandemic.
In general, this year Russian airlines will carry 81.9 million people on domestic routes, to guess inside the section. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, passenger traffic in the Russian Federation last year amounted to 77.7 million people. Thus, in 2023, the indicator could grow by more than 5%. Air transport is becoming more convenient, which is what passengers use. But this is the rise in fares ahead of the rise in ticket prices.