MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. The restrictions imposed by other countries on air service with Russia is mainly connected with the ban on flights conducted by Russian airliners with ‘double registration’, which suggests that a jetliner is registered both locally and in some other country, Russia’s Transport Ministry believes. In the near future, the ministry plans to hold talks with Turkey on the republic’s prohibition of flights conducted by Russian jetliners with ‘double registration’ in its airspace. RBC revealed the introduction of such a ban starting November 1 earlier on Tuesday, citing Director General of Pegas Touristik Anna Podgornaya.
"Talks with Turkish aviation officials on the issue are planned in the near future," according to the ministry’s statements. "We should note that the restriction of Russia's air service with other countries is mainly connected to the prohibition of flights against Russian airliners that have what’s called double registration," the ministry said, adding that it together with the Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport is "constantly engaged in activities with the administrations of other states aimed at receiving a guaranteed refusal to arrest or detain our jets at the request of third countries."
According to Podgornaya, the restriction mainly affected flights to Egypt, extending their travel time by 20-30 minutes, yet it did not affect their price at all.
"In order not to breach the Chicago Convention [Convention on International Civil Aviation - TASS] the Bermuda Islands have to exclude aircraft registered and exploited in the Russian Federation from its register. Corresponding requests have been submitted by Russian carriers to the Bermuda aviation authorities. Meanwhile, dragging out aircraft de-registration by the Bermuda aviation registry is a blatant violation of the Chicago Convention. The situation today implies that hostile countries are accusing us of the so-called ‘double registration’ that they have created themselves, completely ignoring the fact that they themselves breach the main provisions of the Chicago Convention," the Russian Transport Ministry emphasized.
A similar decision was taken by China’s authorities in late May, RBC added.