May 30, 2013, 01:04 / Business

Regions near Moscow offer their airports for the needs of low-cost airlines

Airports in the regions near Moscow are ready to compete with Kaluga's Ermolino and become a base for low-cost air transportation. But Aeroflot is closer to Vnukovo Ekaterina Sobol

M. Stulov / Vedomosti

The administrations of the regions bordering Moscow - for example, the Vladimir or Tver regions - are vying with each other to offer their airports for the needs of low-cost airlines, said Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov. The reason for such activity was the proposal of the Kaluga region and the UTair airline to establish a base for low-cost air transportation at the Ermolino airfield. The Ministry of Transport is ready to provide the regions with any support - except financial: budget money is barely enough for Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo, the minister explains.

The Ryazan regional administration is ready to accept a low-cost carrier, as follows from a letter from the governor of the Ryazan region Oleg Kovalev to the general director of Aeroflot Vitaly Savelyev (available from Vedomosti). The region is already connected to Moscow by high-speed communication (2.5 hours to Ryazan) - there are three pairs of interregional high-comfort Express trains in service. There is a preliminary agreement with Russian Railways on additional trains, if it is economically justified, the governor writes: “The cost of delivering passengers from Moscow to Protasovo airport is comparable to the price of an Aeroexpress ticket - 350 rubles.” While the line to the airfield is being built, you can get to the airport by road, says an employee of the Ministry of Transport of the Ryazan Region.

Everything that the airlines asked for in order for low-cost airlines to work - to allow foreign pilots to fly, to allow non-refundable tickets, to remove restrictions on the minimum number of aircraft - has already been submitted to the State Duma. But we still need small airports with low tariffs. Minister Sokolov recommended that regional administrations attract private investors to airports and talk with airlines.

The governor guarantees investors tax benefits, reduced land rent, and subsidies; reports that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised to transfer the airfield and airfield into municipal ownership free of charge.

It was not possible to find out Aeroflot’s reaction to the proposal to fly from Protasovo: a representative of the airline only said that the letter had been received. But Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Savelyev told Vesti-24 that he would like to create a low-cost airline base at Vnukovo.

Chairman of the board of directors of Vnukovo Vitaly Vantsev said that he has not yet negotiated. And before I said that the airport is not interested in low-cost airlines.

“It is unlikely that Vnukovo will be able to serve Aeroflot cheaply; there is a possibility that the airline will have to respond to the offer of one of the regional airports,” says Oleg Panteleev, head of the analytical department of the Airport.

General Director of Airports of the Regions (Renova) Evgeny Chudnovsky objects: such a project needs to start from Moscow - it is difficult to explain to a passenger why it is necessary to travel 2.5 hours to fly with Aeroflot, while the capacity of Moscow airports is sufficient. “But if passenger traffic starts to grow sharply, the airline could think about an alternative air hub in relative proximity to the capital,” Chudnovsky believes: only after that would investors want to invest.

The Ryazan region plans to open a new airport in 2016, the cost of the project is so far estimated at 5 billion rubles, passenger traffic - up to 5 million passengers, says a person close to the regional administration. It is planned to attract consultants for a more accurate assessment in the near future, he promises.