EC urges Russia to waive royalties for flights over Siberia

Russia should refuse to receive royalties (flight payments) that foreign carriers transfer for the opportunity to fly on the Trans-Siberian routes if restrictions on flights are lifted. This was stated by the head of the Directorate General for Transport of the European Commission, Henrik Hololei, transmits Reuters.

“If one day we have the opportunity to see the opening of Russian airspace, one thing must disappear: royalties for flights over Siberia,” he said.

The system of payments for the use of the Trans-Siberian routes originated in the 1970s. The USSR and the Russian Federation have not signed an agreement on transit for international transportation of the Chicago Convention, and Moscow charges a flight fee (royalty) from foreign companies flying from Europe to Japan and Southeast Asia. The payouts are predominantly received by the group “Aeroflot“. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, her income from these payments wasaccording to various estimates, $ 500-800 million per year.

Since the beginning of the military operation on the territory of Ukraine, the EU countries and the United States have imposed a number of sanctions against the Russian aviation industry. Thus, Western countries closed their airspace to Russian aircraft. At the end of February, the European Union banned the sale of aircraft and spare parts to Russian airlines, and a ban was also introduced on insurance and maintenance of goods related to the aviation and space industries.

Rosaviatsiya in turn banned flights over Russia without special permission for air carriers from 28 EU countries, as well as Albania, Anguilla, Britain, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Jersey, Canada and Norway.