DUSHANBE, May 27, 2011, Asia-Plus – Tajik air carriers are not going to raise passenger fares in the near future despite rising fuel prices.
The source at Somon Air, Tajikistan’s first private airline, says their experts have analyzed the situation and have come to a conclusion that rise in fuel prices will not lead to increase in passenger fares. “We have recently raised fares for flights to Moscow and Istanbul and the company management has decided that there is no point to raise fares,” he noted.
As far as the national air carrier, Tajik Air, is concerned, they say the Tajik Air management is reviewing current tariffs. “I think the passenger fares will not be raised at least in the near future, otherwise we may lose our clients,” said the source at Tajik Air, “All I can say with confidence that fuel price hike negatively impacts the company’s incomes.”
Mirzoali Mahmoudov, the director of the limited liability company Global Trans, which represents the Latvian air company airBaltic in Tajikistan, says they have notified the airBaltic management of rising fuel prices. “The Baltic company has different tariff policy. It differs fundamentally from the tariff policy of Tajik air companies. The ticket price depends on the day of purchase,” said Mahmoudov, “airBaltic will not raise passenger fares because current prices have been approved with due regard for world fuel market trends.
We will recall that Fuel Supply Company has notified air companies and airports in Tajikistan of rise in air fuel prices. The Fuel Supply Company director Muhabbatsho Abdulkhayev says the price of one ton of air fuel will rise from US$1660 to US$1,700 beginning on June 10.
“Air fuel Tajikistan imported in March and April is enough only until June and price will rise starting from June,” said Abdulkhayev. “Russia now accounts for some 90 percent of Tajikistan’s air fuel imports and we are forced to raise prices following Russian government’s decision to raise tariff for oil exports.”
