Kommersant's publication about the possible introduction of a fee from air passengers to support the leasing and operation of Russian aircraft has become a reason for analysis by aviation expert and blogger SkyExpert. The author drew attention to the absence of final decisions on the amount of the payment, the procedure for its collection, and the distribution of the collected funds.

At the same time, in the Kommersant article itself, the initiative is described as being at an early stage of development.

According to the publication, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Rostec are discussing a support mechanism for new Russian aircraft. The publication provides estimates of a possible fee of up to 500 rubles for a domestic flight and up to 1000 rubles for an international flight, and one source allows for higher values — up to 700 and 2000 rubles, respectively. The final amount of the payment, as Kommersant notes, has not yet been determined.

SkyExpert believes that before discussing such a fee, its economic model must be disclosed. In particular, questions remain about who will be the payment operator, how the funds will go to leasing companies and airlines, and how the need for additional financing was calculated. In his analysis, the expert also suggests separating confirmed parameters of support programs from estimates obtained by Kommersant from sources.

A separate issue is related to the comparison of the cost of Russian aircraft with foreign counterparts. The Kommersant publication provides estimates of the cost of the first MC-21 and SJ-100, as well as the prices of the Airbus A320-200, Boeing 737-800, and Embraer E190. SkyExpert points out that such comparisons require clarification of the initial data: catalog cost, the price of a specific contract, production cost, and the price of a used aircraft refer to different economic indicators and cannot be automatically considered as interchangeable values.

As of the publication date, no final decision on the introduction of a new fee has been presented. Therefore, the amounts cited should be considered as estimates published with reference to Kommersant's sources.