the Government is preparing to legalize vouchers, allowing carriers of passengers by air, rail and water, not to return money for tickets in a pandemic. According to “Kommersant”, the bill was drafted. The aircraft is called saving measure, noting that otherwise the industry will face mass bankruptcy. However, experts believe that the decision retroactively to deprive passengers of the opportunity to get your money back contrary to the common law.
As found “Kommersant”, the government has prepared a bill that may allow air, rail, sea and river carriers not to return to passengers money for tickets.
a Special format can be set by decision of the government in the case of the introduction of high alert or emergency situations, told “Kommersant” sources in the industry. According to them, a paper engaged in the economy, it was supported by the Commission on increase of stability of economy, headed the first Deputy Prime Minister (now acting Prime Minister) Andrei Belousov, Commission on legislative activities. Interlocutors “” admit that the state Duma will consider the bill in may.
the Ministry of transport confirmed the participation in the drafting of the bill. The economy Ministry, “Kommersant” have confirmed that the relevant proposals contained in the draft law, developed with the participation of a number of departments, which made the Ministry to the government. Specifically, these measures were proposed by the Ministry of transport, added to the economy. The document will be submitted to the state Duma in the established procedure, if approved by the government, concluded the Ministry.
In particular, aviation at the end of March passenger traffic fell by 80% compared to the same period of 2019, in proportion to decreased revenues. While the fixed costs of the companies, the payment of salaries, rental of airplanes and so on — remain almost unchanged. The official representative “Aeroflot” Mikhail Demin called the initiative for the introduction of vouchers is vital to the industry. “The decision will help preserve liquidity at all times. In all of the major airlines, including us, we are talking about hundreds of thousands or millions of returns. We have already proposed as an alternative tool for rapid settlement of the certificate, and the passengers took it”, he said.
Kommersant’s Sources say that the aircraft the amount of refunds could reach about 70 billion rubles., of which 40 billion rubles fall on Aeroflot. In the current situation the company is unable to return the money. “If the mechanism (vouchers.— “B”) will not be legalised, all of us without exception will have a happy bankruptcy”, — said the interlocutor of Kommersant in one of the major airlines. Kommersant’s sources emphasize that the legalthe ization vouchers — world practice, it resorted including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Ryanair, EasyJet, Southwest, United, Delta, Emirates, Qatar Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines “with the full support of the aviation authorities of the EU, USA and other States”.
the Problem of the return ticket is also relevant for the rail transport. Russian Railways has already allowed passengers to return more than 3.5 million previously purchased tickets for 8 billion rubles., noted the sources, adding that this is done in conditions when the demand for rail transportation of distant following has decreased more than 70%.
Total in 2020 is expected to decline in passenger traffic of more than 41%, said the source. The Russian Railways declined to comment.
In a critical situation river cruise, which sold tickets for the current season since the summer of 2019. The largest shipping company in March received more than 2.2 billion rubles of advance payments to be returned, says Kommersant’s source in the industry. The money spent on the repair of the fleet in winter, prepayment for fuel, staff salaries, operating and other obligatory payments, he says. While operating income fell almost to zero, because passengers do not book tours due the situation with coronavirus. In early April, Russian chamber of shipping estimated a possible loss from a stop of the cruise navigation of 15 billion rubles.
So, Executive Director of the Agency “AviaPort” Oleg Panteleev notes that this is a necessary measure, albeit somewhat late. “But a mass attack on the airline by the regulatory bodies did not happen, and if the position of the Ministry of transport will be embodied in the law, the situation will be resolved,” — said the expert. However, the head of the Union of passengers Kirill Yankov said that, if the flight is cancelled and company is not carrying variables of transportation costs, talk about the vouchers should not be. He adds that, as a General principle of law, the norm, deteriorating anyone provision is not retroactive. Thus, says Yankov, the introduction of vouchers in hindsight instead of a refund for the cancelled flight impossible. At the same time, the expert thinks is right to introduce vouchers for refusing passengers due coronavirus fly uncancelled flights.
Anastasia Vedeneeva, Herman kostryns’ka, Natalia Skorlygina
