Russian airline Utair will operate flights from Tajikistan to seven Russian cities – Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Samara, Yekaterinburg and Ufa.
The airline will operate once-weekly service on each of these air routes, but not everyone can afford ticket prices.
For example, a ticket for the flight Dushanbe to St. Petersburg costs 10,804 somonis, a ticket for the Khujand-Yekaterinburg flight costs 11,258 somonis, a ticket for the Kulob-Yekaterinburg flight costs 8,422 somonis, and a ticket for the Bokhtar-Yekaterinburg flight costs 7,500 somonis.
A representative of one of air ticket offices in Dushanbe says such ticket prices have been set by the airline itself.
Recall, the Civil Aviation Agency under the Government of Tajikistan held an extraordinary meeting on April 5 with participation of representatives of the Stage Committee for National Security, Transportation Prosecutor’s Office and representatives of Somon Air and Utair to discuss the issue of the sale of air tickets at inflated prices.
The air ticket offices were reportedly warned not to sell tickets at inflated prices.
The Civil Aviation Agency, in agreement with Somon Air and Utair, which operate regular flights on this air route, has reportedly set the round-trip air ticket for the Dushanbe-Moscow flight at the amount equal to 500 U.S. dollars.
The rate will depend on passenger traffic; for example, if passenger traffic on the flight from Dushanbe to Moscow is high, the airlines may set the ticket price at US$300 or US$350 and the price for ticket for the return flight (from Moscow to Dushanbe) at US$150, but the round-trip air ticket for the Dushanbe-Moscow flight must not exceed US$500.
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).
