Russia pledges 19.5 billion roubles in state support for airlines

(Reuters) – Russia has pledged 19.5 billion roubles ($238 million) in state support for airlines to refund passengers flying on routes that have been cancelled due to sanctions, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Thursday.

“The subsidies will be used to refund passengers the cost of tickets on routes that have been cancelled due to external restrictions, which will save carriers their own working capital, which means there will be financial resources to ensure flight safety,” Mishustin said.

($1 = 82.0020 roubles)

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Conor Humphries)