Harsh conditions: airports in the Far North are denied subsidies for 9 billion
The country's northern airports were denied an additional subsidy of 9 billion rubles per year for 2025-2027. The money is needed for the repair and modernization of infrastructure, security and the purchase of equipment, according to the materials of the Federal Air Transport Agency. We are talking about seven enterprises operating in the regions of the Far North and the Arctic zone. The subsidy to these air companies amounts to just over 4 billion rubles a year, these funds are not enough, and the Federal Air Transport Agency annually sends an application to the Ministry of Finance to increase it, but it does not find support.
How much money do airports need?
Rosaviation does not have enough funds to maintain the operability of regional airports in the Far North and the Arctic zone, according to the materials of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation) based on the results of work in 2024. Izvestia has reviewed the document.
There are seven federal state-owned enterprises (FKP) in the Far North: Airports of the North, Airports of Kamchatka, Airports of Chukotka, Airports of Krasnoyarsk, Amderma Airport, Airports of the Far East, Kyzyl Airport. There are 82 runways in total for year-round use.
Since 2020, federal support programs have been launched to ensure the operability of these airports. In 2024, the northern Federal District allocated 4.13 billion rubles, thanks to which 1.5 million passengers were transported, and the number of flights from them amounted to 47.42 thousand. The subsidy funds have been fully disbursed, according to the report of the Federal Air Transport Agency.
According to the federal agency, in 2025-2027, an additional 9 billion rubles per year are required from the federal budget to maintain their material and technical base. The funds were needed, in particular, for the reorganization of airfields, ensuring transport security, the creation of new branches, as well as for the purchase of equipment and modular buildings. Many existing facilities require major and ongoing repairs. Airports are not able to do this at their own expense.
Rosaviation raises the issue of increasing funding for northern airways from 2023, but applications to the Ministry of Finance are not supported by the department, according to a document from the federal agency.
"In the context of inflation (in accordance with the consumer price index for goods and services in the Russian Federation), a steady increase in prices for fuel and energy resources, utilities, the tax burden, as well as an increase in the minimum wage in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, it is not possible to cover the costs of the Federal Tax Service at the expense of own income," the document says. Federal Air Transport Agency.
—The airports in question are the only year—round facilities providing transport links between settlements in the North," Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Aviport agency, told Izvestia. — Communication by sea, rivers and winter roads is seasonal, and paved roads have not been built to many villages. Even helicopters don't fly there because of the range. Therefore, air transport has no alternative.
Izvestia sent requests to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the Ministry of Transport and airports in the Far North.
The press service of the Ministry of Finance recommended Izvestia to contact the department responsible for state policy in the field of civil aviation, the Ministry of Transport. At the same time, it was noted that starting in 2025, a new measure of state support is being implemented in the form of subsidies, including FPC, for major repairs, installation of lighting equipment and the placement of non-capital structures at civil aviation airfields and landing sites. The Ministry of Transport did not respond at the time of issue preparation.
How to reduce airport costs
— The situation at airports in the North is difficult. There is no commerce there, and the costs are high," Fyodor Borisov, an expert at the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia. — For example, there are three flights a week and 150 people are transported. Due to the low passenger traffic, it is impossible to recoup the maintenance of the airport, therefore there is no alternative to state financing.
An-24, An-26, An-2, and L-410 aircraft are operating in the North, which require runways in good condition and infrastructure.
"In this business, with passenger traffic of several thousand people per year, it is impossible to reach the threshold of profitability," Oleg Panteleev said. — You should not expect the same payback from them as airports with 10 million passengers.
In addition, airports managed by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise operate in difficult natural and climatic conditions. Their operating expenses are higher than in the middle zone. Without budget support, they will immediately lose money, and their infrastructure will rapidly degrade, the expert believes. However, according to him, it is possible to reduce the gap between income and expenses by eliminating a number of excessive requirements imposed on such airports.
"The difficulties of regional air ports are observed, among other things, due to administrative barriers to commercial transportation on light aircraft," Sergey Detenyshev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Small Aviation Enterprises, told Izvestia.
It is possible to increase the return on transportation and attract private investment by removing unnecessary obstacles and introducing self-regulation of the industry, which will also ensure the required level of flight safety, the expert believes.
The requirements of the Ministry of Transport for the infrastructure of small airports are, in fact, similar to those imposed on large ones, such as Sheremetyevo. They are redundant and kill the economics of small aircraft operations, Andrey Patrakov, founder of the RunAvia flight safety service, told Izvestia. Light aircraft are no less efficient than large An-24s, and they can be operated without significant infrastructure costs, the expert added. Many localities can be provided with simple landing sites for small aircraft.
However, in order to ensure the widespread introduction of small aircraft in the North, it is necessary to differentiate and simplify flight rules for it in comparison with large aircraft. Unfortunately, agencies have been doing the opposite lately, the expert concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
