Long farewells will be stopped at the entrance

As Kommersant found out, the International Airport Association (IAA), PCT and the All-Russian Association of Passengers ask not to prohibit those meeting and seeing off from entering airports. The changes will come into force on September 1. Kommersant’s sources at airports believe that this will lead to queues at the entrance and will worsen the security situation, while attackers will still be able to purchase tickets. Airports could lose between 20% and 50% of non-aeronautical revenue due to lower sales of shops and cafes. The Ministry of Transport emphasizes that the measure will be targeted and short-term in nature. But Kommersant’s interlocutors note that the ban will apply at the third security level, which is also formally temporary, but has been regularly extended at the airports of Moscow and St. Petersburg for more than a year.

According to Kommersant, MAA (which unites airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Yekaterinburg and ten other cities) asked the Ministry of Transport not to prohibit entry to airports for accompanying persons without tickets. Such amendments to government decree No. 1605, regulating transport security, will come into force on September 1: at the third level of security (already announced at the airports of Moscow and St. Petersburg), persons without travel documents will not be able to enter the airport.

The Ministry of Transport told Kommersant that the measure will be “temporary, short-term in nature for a specific airport and will be valid for the period of greatest danger.” But, as Kommersant’s interlocutors in the airport community counter, the third level of security is also formally temporary, but in practice it has been regularly extended every two weeks for more than a year.

As stated in the IAA’s appeal sent to the Ministry of Transport in early March, due to restrictions, it will become impossible to escort and meet passengers at the terminal, including the elderly and with children, people with disabilities, as well as unaccompanied children, of whom more than 100 fly from Vnukovo alone. 4 thousand per year. The ban will lead to crowds of people in front of the entrances to the terminals, which “causes an increase in the level of vulnerability in the event of terrorist attacks, an increase in the crime situation, and loss of image for air transport in general,” the letter says. The association noted that the airports of the Moscow Air Hub (MAU) account for 50% of the passenger traffic of the Russian Federation, and the measure will cause a public outcry.

Non-admission of those seeing off and greeting people means losses for shops, banks, pharmacies and catering located in the terminals. The IAA concluded that a decrease in non-aviation revenues at airports will lead “to a decrease in tax revenues and the emergence of shortfalls in budget revenues.” According to Kommersant’s sources at UIA, airports will lose 20–30% of non-aviation revenue, including the turnover of paid parking. The IAA proposed making the ban on entry to airports “not an obligation, but a right of the airport.” But, as Kommersant’s interlocutor notes, the Ministry of Transport made it clear that Resolution No. 1603 “does not provide for any rights of airports.” Moreover, even a targeted ban for individuals will require, according to him, changes to the regulatory framework and airport regulations.

Another Kommersant interlocutor notes that nothing will stop attackers from buying a ticket to enter. At the same time, some passengers still purchase tickets at airports, which will affect their rights. Finally, the representative offices of some airlines are located only at airports, and their passengers will not be able to resolve their issues not on the day of the flight.

UIA and UIA airports refrained from commenting. Pulkovo told Kommersant that the airport will be ready to fulfill the necessary requirements. “However, restrictive measures should be approached carefully,” they added. Pulkovo noted that the airport has long been operating under increased security measures, and all passengers are subject to screening. The initiative will reduce the workload on staff, they concluded, “but will reduce the volume of services provided and non-aviation revenues, which can be used for development projects and improving the quality of service.”

The Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST) believes that if a ban is introduced, in addition to passengers with tickets and persons with single passes, representatives of tour operators should be given the right to enter.

In addition to logistics and travel issues, employees of travel companies help solve problems that tourists may have at the airport, says RST Vice President Dmitry Gorin. In addition, groups often include people with limited mobility and children: “It is important that their rights are not violated.” “Everyone understands the extreme importance of security issues, but restrictions must be justified, not violate the rights of citizens and not run counter to the goals of tourism development,” he concludes.

The All-Russian Association of Passengers opposes the tightening, its chairman Ilya Zotov told Kommersant: “We do not see a correlation between safety and this ban.” Special airport services will not cope with escorting those who need it: disabled people, elderly people and passengers of other categories for assistance with luggage. The measure looks dubious and illogical, since the entrances to all airports are equipped with security screening areas and are well protected. Instead of a ban, “it would be more appropriate to consider increasing the number of simultaneously operating checkpoints with boundaries to minimize queues.”

The income of catering and retail outlets in non-sterile zones could be reduced by up to 50%, says Alexander Lanetsky, CEO of Friendly Avia Support. Even Ben Gurion, “the most secure airport in the world,” does not have such strict restrictions. A similar practice was introduced in the past in Uzbekistan and Egypt, he recalls, but it is not used in the West because queues at the entrance “do not improve the security situation.”

Aigul Abdullina