The introduction of 50 percent airfare discounts for Far East residents has drawn interest in other regions too. In 2009, young and elderly Far Easterners can fly to Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi at a discount, and the state will allocate 1.7 billion rubles for this. Transport Minister Igor Levitin called the initiative a pilot project and said it could later be extended to other regions.
The introduction of air travel benefits for residents of the Far East has sparked keen interest in other regions.In 2009, young and elderly residents of the Far East will be able to fly to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sochi at a 50% discount. The state will allocate 1.7 billion rubles for these purposes. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced this decision yesterday in Chita. During his trip through Siberia, the head of state also promised to create a personnel reserve for law enforcement officers and preserve the existing deferments from military service.
On Friday, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin, who is visiting Irkutsk, was asked whether something similar would be organized for the Irkutsk Region, the Zabaykalsky Krai, and the Republic of Buryatia. The minister said that this is a pilot project. “After working through all the mechanisms, we will understand whether this will lead to an increase in air traffic. And next year, perhaps, we will obtain certain data on how many more Russian citizens should be able to use the benefit, how much funding will be required for this, and to which regions the project will apply,” Igor Levitin explained.