MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) The Russian government will on Thursday discuss subsidies to Russian airports and similar organizations to compensate for the decline in income due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the cabinet said.
"The following issues are planned to be considered at the meeting: ...On the allocation to the Federal Air Transport Agency from the reserve fund of the Government of the Russian Federation of budget funds to provide subsidies to Russian airports and... similar organizations in 2020 for partial compensation of expenses due to a decrease in their income as a result of a fall in passenger air traffic due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection," it said.
Amid the spread of the new coronavirus infection, air transportation has found itself among the most affected sectors of the economy. Subsidies allocated by the state will help airlines survive the period of restrictions associated with the difficult epidemiological situation and will help maintain the human resources potential of civil aviation.
On March 27, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Russia stopped regular and charter flights with other countries. The exceptions are flights to take citizens home, as well as cargo, mail, sanitary and humanitarian flights, flights of empty planes for maintenance, transit flights with landing for refueling or changing crews in Russia and flights carried out in line with individual decisions of the Russian government.
Airlines also reduced domestic flights due to falling demand.
