The Moscow city government has allocated almost $1 million in its budget for a programme that will resolve regulatory issues and set out likely airport locations for an air taxi scheme for the capital and surrounding region.
The programme should also resolve air traffic control issues with the defence ministry, which is responsible for air traffic control in Russia, and will also list the likely fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft to be considered, as well as incentives for investors and infrastructure issues.
Atlant-Soyuz, a Moscow-based air charter operator in which the city government has a stake, has been designated as the chief carrier for the system, according to Russian media reports.
Atlant-Soyuz operates Bombardier Challenger and Raytheon Hawker business jets and Yakovlev Yak-40, Yak-42 and Tupolev Tu-134 regional airliners.
The provision of initial funding and involvement of Atlant-Soyuz are strong indications that the scheme, which was mooted years ago, will now go ahead. The service could be run from locations around the capital's outer ring road, including Vnukovo, Myachkovo and Bykovo airports.
The overall cost of the programme was estimated at $1.4 billion last year (Flight International, 20-26 July 2004), of which around half is envisaged for improvements to the infrastructure at small airfields around the Russian capital.
Investors are yet to be found for the operating sites, which the city government stated last year was a precondition for the go-ahead for the scheme.
The city government says the first flights are likely to begin in 2007.
Source: Flight International