newstodate.aero
SEP 04, 2003 (newstodate): The long-overdue and pertinent issue of Russian overflight charges on commercial aircraft is expected once again to top the unofficial EU/Russia civil aviation agenda this month.
While there has not really been any significant moves on the issue over the summer, expectations are now that the issue will certainly be a focal point in non-public discussion between top-level EU and Russian participants and delegates to the forthcoming Third International Euro-Asian Conference on Transport in St Petersburg, September 11.12, an informed EU source tells newstodate.
The EU delegation to the event will be Loyola De Palacio, Vice-President of the European Commission, and the Russian side will be represented by V.A. Yakovlev, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, while V.V. Putin, President of the Russian Federation, will deliver a welcome address.
Under the disguise of "commercial agreements", Russia is still extracting an estimated 200-250 million euro per year from Western airlines flying through Russian airspace on routes between Europe and the Far East.
The practice has so far held back the commercial benefits otherwise embedded in the trans-polar and arctic routes that would significantly reduce flying times and, hence, operating costs for airlines now forced to fly other routes to avoid the Russian "commercial agreements".
While there has not really been any significant moves on the issue over the summer, expectations are now that the issue will certainly be a focal point in non-public discussion between top-level EU and Russian participants and delegates to the forthcoming Third International Euro-Asian Conference on Transport in St Petersburg, September 11.12, an informed EU source tells newstodate.
The EU delegation to the event will be Loyola De Palacio, Vice-President of the European Commission, and the Russian side will be represented by V.A. Yakovlev, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, while V.V. Putin, President of the Russian Federation, will deliver a welcome address.
Under the disguise of "commercial agreements", Russia is still extracting an estimated 200-250 million euro per year from Western airlines flying through Russian airspace on routes between Europe and the Far East.
The practice has so far held back the commercial benefits otherwise embedded in the trans-polar and arctic routes that would significantly reduce flying times and, hence, operating costs for airlines now forced to fly other routes to avoid the Russian "commercial agreements".