Lawkoster "Victory" changed the rules of transportation of hand luggage, obeying the decision of the Supreme Court

The Victory Airlines, which is part of the Aeroflot group, announced on February 5 that she was changing the rules for the transport of hand luggage by air passengers in pursuance of a decision of the Supreme Court (Sun) of the Russian Federation.

According to Victory, from February 18, on the flights of Lawkoster, it will be allowed to transport one place of hand luggage weighing no more than 10 kg in the aircraft cabin, the dimensions of which should not exceed 36x30x4 cm, RBC reports.

In addition, on board they will allow a ladies' bag, briefcase or backpack by dimensions of no more than 36x30x23 cm, a bouquet of flowers, outerwear, medicines and food for a child in flight, a children's cradle, a walker, one costume in a portal, crutches, a cane, rollators, a folding armchair chair. Also, Victory passengers will be allowed to take with them goods from Duty Free with dimensions of no more than 10x10x5 cm, the message says.

“We literally fulfilled the requirements of federal aviation rules in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court exactly,” the Press Service quoted the head of the company Andrei Kalmykov . According to him, now passengers will be able to choose what rules to use - old or new: it will be possible, as before, to take any type of luggage of any type and weight to the salon, but within the framework of 36x30x27 cm, or take one place of hand luggage weighing up to 10 kg, a list of things from federal aircraft rules.

In August 2018, the RF Armed Forces rejected the “Victory” lawsuit, which demanded partially cancel the current standards of hand luggage transportation, which allow the passenger in excess of the five -kilogram norm to take flowers, ladies' handbag, backpack and a number of other things. The defendant in the lawsuit was the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

After that, Kalmykov said that the airline would appeal the decision of the country's highest court, since he "sees the unfulfilled of these rules." “But if the decision enters into legal force, then after appeal, we will be forced to reconsider our rules,” the General Director of Victory added, noting that this will lead to an increase in cost and increase the cost of tickets.

Litigation in this case began in the spring of 2018. In November 2017, in Russia, amendments to the rules for the transport of baggage in aircraft entered into force, according to which each passenger has the right to transport hand luggage weighing more than 5 kg plus other items, such as a portfolio or a ladies bag, baby food, outerwear, etc.

"Victory" considered these norms the contradictory provisions of the Air Code. The carrier argued that the dimensions of things should depend on the type of a particular aircraft. In December 2018, Lawkoster changed the rules for transporting hand luggage on his flights, limiting its size by dimensions 36x30x27 cm, and after another six months he turned to the Armed Forces with a demand to recognize the innovations of the Ministry of Transport.

"Victory" motivated the lawsuit by the fact that the permission for the damage of luggage in excess of the norm poses a threat of passenger safety. The interests of “Victory” in the Armed Forces were represented by the famous lawyer Heinrich Padva, who substantiated the lawsuit by the uncertainty of the norms of the law and the possibility of their expanded interpretation with unscrupulous passengers, for example, such that “carry five fur coats from Milan”, violating the rights of other passengers “to comfort and safety”.

“I am responsible for the safety of passengers, but I can’t provide it with the current rules,” Kalmykov said in court.

The lawyers of the Ministry of Transport, for their part, told the court that they developed the rules in agreement with the airline and taking into account the complaints of passengers. The Prosecutor General’s Office in court supported the position of the Ministry of Transport, considering the paragraph of the Rules disputed by the “victory” by the relevant law.