The CEO of Russia’s Aeroflot Sergei Alexandrovsky has called on the Russian government to “balance the interests” of Russian and foreign airlines in order to support the domestic aviation sector. According to Reuters, Alexandrovsky’s comments in an interview with Russian news site RBC published December 28, 2022.

In the interview, Alexandrovsky said that it is “important that the state balances the interests of Russian and international carriers. Because it is obvious that foreign carriers now have much more opportunities and advantages in these conditions”.

As a consequence of Russia invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many countries and companies imposed sanctions on Russia, including flight bans on Russian carriers. Other sanctions include the UK banning Russian airlines from selling valuable airport slots, Canadian business jet manufacturer Bombardier canceling Russian orders and ceasing all activities with Russian clients.

According to Alexandrovsky, competitors, including Turkish Airlines and Emirates had benefited most from the situation, and called for “state protectionism” to preserve domestic aviation.

“For example, when flights to Turkey were opened, none of the Russian airlines could fly there, and Turkish carriers entered the market at very large volumes. In this situation, it is probably important that the state balances the interests of Russian and international carriers,” Alexandrovsky said.