Mishustin instructs that 1.76 bln rubles p.a. be allocated to air transport in Far Eastern Federal District in 2024-2026

MOSCOW. Aug 16 (interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed that annual subsidies of 1.76 billion rubles be provided in the budget for the next three years for air transportation within the Far Eastern Federal District.

"When preparing the draft budget for 2024 and the planning period of 2025-2026, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport should provide for the possibility of allocating 1.76 billion rubles annually to subsidize the air transportation of passengers on socially significant routes in the Far Eastern Federal District," the government's press service said.

The instruction was given following the prime minister's working trip to the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts, where he met with the management of the unified Far Eastern airline Aurora, among others.

Aurora is a current recipient of federal subsidies for passenger transportation within the Far Eastern Federal District. It was reported that the company would receive 5.9 billion rubles in 2023 for these purposes.

Another instruction from Mishustin is related to the production and purchase of the LMS-901 Baikal light multi-purpose aircraft. The Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, together with other interested organizations, need to submit proposals on reducing the cost of building the aircraft, reducing lease payments and the possibility of reducing airport charges for socially significant transportation in the Far East. The due date for the execution of the order is September 25, 2023.

In addition, Mishustin gave instructions to think about the development and production of a light single-engine helicopter. This will be done by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency together with the Rostec state corporation. The ministries will have to analyze the needs of the domestic market, as well as make proposals on the timing of the implementation of the project, indicate required production volumes and sources of funding. The deadline for this is mid-October.