The Civil Aviation Agency under the Government of Tajikistan has held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the issue of the sale of air tickets at inflated prices.
Civil Aviation Agency Director Ikrom Subhonzoda has told Asia-Plus that they received complaints from citizens regarding the sale of air tickets by air ticket officers at inflated prices. “Therefore, we held an extraordinary meeting today morning with participation of representatives of the Stage Committee for National Security, Transportation Prosecutor’s Office and representatives of Somon Air and Utair,” Subhonzoda said.
According to him, the air ticket offices were warned not to sell tickets at inflated prices. “From now on, the Transportation Prosecutor’s Office and the Stage Committee for National Security will make sure that air tickets are not sold for more than a certain price,” the Civil Aviation Agency top manager noted.
Recall, the Civil Aviation Agency has set the passenger fare on the flight Dushanbe-Moscow at the amount equal to 500 U.S. dollars.
Tajikistan’s Somon Air and Russia’s Utair operate regular flights between Dushanbe and Moscow, which were resumed on April 1, 2021.
On April 4, Somon Air operated the first regular flight from Dushanbe to Moscow with 184 passengers on board. According to representatives of the airline. the price of the air ticket for this flight was set at US$349.
Meanwhile, according to social networks and information from the Civil Aviation Agency itself, air tickets for the first flights from Dushanbe to Moscow operated by Utair and Somon Air were sold several times more expensive than the set prices.
Recall, RIA Novosti said on March 25 that Russia will resume regular air traffic with Tajikistan, Germany, Syria, Venezuela, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan beginning of April 1, 2021.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who is also Chairperson of the Operational Headquarters on Preventing the Coronavirus Spread in Russia, reportedly held a meeting of the Operational Headquarters on this subject on March 25.
Taking into account the epidemiological situation and in agreement with the Chairman of the Government Mikhail Mishustin, the meeting adopted a decision that one flight will be operated on the Moscow-Dushanbe air route per week beginning on April 1.
Passengers on this flight must have a certificate showing the negative result of COVID-19, obtained by testing by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, and made no earlier than 72 hours (3 days) prior to arrival in Moscow.
The air traffic between Tajikistan and Russia has been suspended since March 20, 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis.
Recall, Tajik authorities have suspended all international flights. Tajikistan closed all its airports at midnight on March 19-20 due to the coronavirus concerns. Only charters flights to repatriate Tajik nationals stranded in foreign countries due to the coronavirus crisis have been operated so far.
To-date, Tajikistan has resumed regular flights to Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Istanbul (Turkey), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Kabul (Afghanistan), and Moscow (Russia).
