OREANDA-NEWS Air tickets for flights within Russia in 2023 may rise in price by 15-30% compared to last year against the background of a reduction in subsidies, Deputy Transport Minister Igor Chalik said at a meeting on preparations for the tourist season of 2023, TASS reports.

"The fact is that this year we have not yet approved the allocation of subsidies by analogy with 2022: as you remember, it was 100 billion rubles. In this regard, we expect there may be an increase in the cost of transportation from about 15 to 30%. Accordingly, it will be possible to reduce the number of flights," he said.

In 2022, Russian airlines faced serious pressure due to international sanctions and restrictions on air traffic in Central and Southern Russia. Under these conditions, the authorities allocated them 100 billion rubles from the federal budget as subsidies, including for reimbursement of expenses for the rental and leasing of aircraft and engines, their insurance, maintenance and repair. To determine the recipients of subsidies, the Ministry of Transport conducted a selection, according to the results of which 32 applications for subsidies were approved from 34 carriers who applied for them.

A quarter of the allocated amount (25.7 billion rubles) fell to Aeroflot, 22 billion rubles went to S7, another 14 billion rubles to the low—cost airline Pobeda (Aeroflot's "daughter").

In August 2022, the Ministry of Transport reported an 8% reduction in air ticket prices due to these subsidies.