Number of airlines in Russia down 55% since 2000 - Rosaviatsia
MOSCOW. Sept 20 (Interfax) - The number of airlines in Russia has decreased by 55% since 2000 thanks to efforts for enhancing discipline, responsibility and oversight of air transport, the head of Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), Alexander Neradko, said on Tuesday during government hour at the State Duma.
"We're continuing work to liquidate unscrupulous airlines. There were 296 [carriers] in 2000. Now there are 134," he said.
Neradko also said that certification for 23 commercial carriers had been annulled in 2011. At the same time, not a single new airline has been formed this year.
However, he added that "in many cases, there has been an eagerness to take risks for the sake of commercial return by neglecting safety standards".