Airlines are pulling back on flights within Russia as government support wanes. In a broader view of 2023, the subsidy program for regional air travel, which previously bypassed Moscow, was reduced from 9 billion to 7.5 billion rubles. A source close to the Transport Ministry, relayed to News, indicates that these figures come from conversations with airline representatives.
In 2022, the government allocated 9 billion rubles under Decree No. 1242, yet Rosaviatsiya redirected a portion of those funds for other purposes during the year. Consequently, about 7.8 billion rubles were subsidized for regional routes in 2022. With this subsidy in place, airlines carried roughly 2.7 million passengers, compared with about 2.85 million in 2021, according to the same reporting.
Broadcast industry insiders note that the current year’s reduction in the program stems from broader budget cuts. One source says the Ministry of Transport was directed to trim expenses by 5 percent, which translated into a 17 percent cut under Decree No. 1242. Rosaviatsiya has also narrowed the network by removing routes where airlines have yet to finalize co-financing agreements with regional authorities. The majority of routes dropped from the program are located in the Omsk and Tyumen regions, Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, Dagestan, and North Ossetia, the insider added.
Nordwind Airlines and Rossiya have canceled flights on the Nizhny Novgorod–Petrozavodsk route and the Kemerovo–Chita corridor. A decision to reduce two weekly rotations on the St. Petersburg–Tobolsk path was also reported.
Previously, the Ministry of Transport signaled that air ticket prices could rise by 15 to 30 percent during the upcoming summer season, noting that authorities had not chosen to subsidize transportation at that time. This interpretation comes as officials assess the balance between public support, airline viability, and passenger access to regional destinations, with implications for regional connectivity and travel costs across the country (industry briefings, sources familiar with the matter).