Russia plans airline ticket levy to fund domestic aircraft industry

Russia is planning to introduce a mandatory levy on airline tickets starting in 2027 to support its civilian aircraft industry, Euronews reported. The proposal comes from the budget and tax committee of the State Duma. The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade is creating the plan under instructions from President Vladimir Putin. [1]

Under the planned system, domestic passengers will pay a fee of 500 roubles, which is about 5.4 euros, according to Euronews. Passengers on international flights will pay a surcharge of 1,000 roubles, or around 10.8 euros, per ticket. The collected funds will cover the costs of leasing and operating 258 Russian-built aircraft as international sanctions over the war in Ukraine continue to affect the nation's aviation sector. [1]

The nation faces severe operational pressures across its commercial fleet. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin previously stated that Moscow asked Vietnam to wet-lease passenger jets along with crews and maintenance. Nearly one fifth of the aircraft owned by Russia's major airlines were grounded, which is double the standard downtime rate. [3]

The broader economic pressures follow ongoing conflict in the region. As FTMQ News reported earlier, NATO recently increased its Black Sea surveillance and radar deployments after multiple Russian attacks targeted commercial agricultural shipping near Ukrainian ports. [2]