MOSCOW, July 13The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) issued a warning to the co-owner of Vnukovo airport Vitaly Vantsev in connection with his statement about a possible increase in airfare, follows from the message of the regulator.
«The Federal Antimonopoly Service issued a warning in connection with a public statement about the increase in air ticket prices. <…> On July 13, 2023, a number of media outlets cited a statement predicting an increase in air ticket prices. <…> Such forecasts are the co-owner of Airline JSC Azimuth, co-owner and chairman of the board of directors of Vnukovo International Airport JSC, announced in the media. <…> The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia warns of the obligation to strictly comply with the requirements of antimonopoly legislation,» the message says.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service noted that such statements can be perceived as an inducement to action to increase prices by business entities operating in the market for the sale of air tickets and air transportation and recalled the prohibition of concerted actions of competing business entities if such actions lead to the establishment or maintenance of prices, discounts, allowances and markups, as well as actions that may lead to the establishment and maintenance of a monopoly high price.
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«If it detects signs of illegal behavior and setting economically unjustified prices by individual companies, the FAS Russia will immediately take antimonopoly response measures and stop unfair practices,» the service clarifies.
Co-owner of Vnukovo Airport Vitaly Vantsev in an interview published on Thursday RBC suggested that the price of air tickets in Russia in 2023 could grow by 15-20 percent on domestic flights, and up to 40 percent on international flights. After that, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Igor Chalik said that the forecast of a possible increase in prices for air tickets in Russia by up to 40 percent was unfounded, state support measures and market conditions made it possible to maintain affordable prices.
Later, the Federal Antimonopoly Service announced that, together with its territorial bodies and the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, it was checking Russian airports and airlines on the issue of air ticket prices.