newstodate.aero
Jul 02, 2015 (newstodate): The current cooling-down of relations between Russia and the west as well as the sanctions imposed has put the issue of Siberian overflight charges levied on EU carriers by Russia in the refrigerator.
When the issue was last negotiated, an agreement was reached between EU and Russia in 2006 calling for a full cancellation of overflight charges from 2014, a phased reduction in charges on existing routes, and no charges to be levied on new routes set up from 2007.
Russia, however, never ratified the agreement that has remained another paper in the files, and western airlines are still paying an estimated 300 dollars annually for overflights.
This money has so far been collected by Aeroflot, but the Russian government has now decided that part of the charges collected could go to financing of a modern single air traffic management system to be commissioned by 2020, while another part could be directed to subsidizing flights on regional routes currently operated by Aeroflot.
The net effect would be to relieve the Russian state budget of some of the aviation-related obligations, thus supporting an ailing Russian economy.
Western airlines' overflights would remain a cash-cow in either case.
When the issue was last negotiated, an agreement was reached between EU and Russia in 2006 calling for a full cancellation of overflight charges from 2014, a phased reduction in charges on existing routes, and no charges to be levied on new routes set up from 2007.
Russia, however, never ratified the agreement that has remained another paper in the files, and western airlines are still paying an estimated 300 dollars annually for overflights.
This money has so far been collected by Aeroflot, but the Russian government has now decided that part of the charges collected could go to financing of a modern single air traffic management system to be commissioned by 2020, while another part could be directed to subsidizing flights on regional routes currently operated by Aeroflot.
The net effect would be to relieve the Russian state budget of some of the aviation-related obligations, thus supporting an ailing Russian economy.
Western airlines' overflights would remain a cash-cow in either case.