The Russian authorities require airlines to reserve seats for participants in the war in Ukraine flying on a summer vacation. The fact that the Federal Air Transport Agency sends telegrams of similar content signed by the deputy head of the department Vladimir Poteshkin is reported by Izvestia.
Companies should make a list of routes on which they can provide 5-6 places for participants in hostilities. The report states that in the current situation, the Ministry of Defense makes it difficult to plan vacations for the military, and therefore the rest of some of them is disrupted due to the lack of tickets for the flights they need. If there is no need, the reservation will be removed 12 hours before the departure of the aircraft.
The Federal Air Transport Agency also sent a separate telegram to the airlines with a request for priority ticket sales for the military and their extraordinary service at airports. The agency requires that special attention be paid to those who are on treatment and those with disabilities.
According to Izvestia's source in the Ministry of Defense, the transportation of the military to the place of rest is carried out with the help of military transportation documents (VPD), which they have the right to exchange for tickets. However, now due to increased demand, this must be done a few weeks before departure.
Despite the fact that carriers agree to book seats for the military, they still have many questions for the state. So far, the authorities have not discussed with them how the booking will be made, nor the possibility of compensating the airlines. It is also unclear what document identifying the passenger's identity should be used to make a reservation.
According to Elena Sakhnova, an analyst at My Investments, quoted by Izvestia, with an average ticket price of about 15 thousand rubles, airlines will lose from 300 to 700 million rubles a month.
In February, during the reading of the message to the Federal Assembly, Vladimir Putin proposed the creation of a state fund for the families of those killed during the war unleashed by Russia. He also announced that each participant in hostilities will receive 14 days of leave at least once every six months.