Russia will not artificially reduce the number of airlines; this will happen naturally. This point of view was presented by the head of Rosaviatsiya, Dmitry Yadrov.
According to the agency, there are currently 118 airlines operating in the Russian Federation, with only 15 companies accounting for 94% of all transportation.
There is no task to artificially reduce the number of carriers. This will happen by itself through the merger of market participants, their consolidation.
According to Yadrov, a good example is the transfer of part of the iFly airline's fleet to "wet" leasing, that is, renting an aircraft together with the crew.
The "wet" leasing mechanism will allow small airlines to earn money, and large airlines to increase passenger traffic and be more present on their routes in a higher quality manner, in the interests of passengers.
Yadrov recalled that after the collapse of the USSR, a large number of independent carriers appeared in Russia. New requirements for the aircraft fleet have increased flight safety, but the market structure has remained the same - the main volumes of transportation are concentrated among the largest players.