OREANDA-NEWS. On behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian government will allocate 19.5 billion rubles to Russian airlines. This was announced by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The funds will be used to refund passengers the cost of tickets for flights canceled due to external restrictions. In addition, 1.5 billion rubles will be additionally allocated for partial compensation of the costs of airports in the southern and central parts of Russia.

It is extremely important now to support the infrastructure of airports and, of course, to retain qualified personnel there,” Mishustin stressed.

The head of the Cabinet added that all of the above measures will help carriers maintain working capital and continue to ensure flight safety.

Earlier, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, during a speech at a government hour in the Federation Council, said that up to 110 billion rubles would be allocated for the operations of Russian airlines. He explained that subsidies will be issued depending on the distance and the number of passengers carried.

The day before, the head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, said that the first deliveries of the Tu-214 and Il-96 to Russian airlines would begin in 2024. According to him, the main focus will be on the production of the Tu-214. IL-96, on the contrary, will not be so massive, and therefore the increase in production is not so noticeable.