Plans for an air taxi scheme for the Russian capital appear to have foundered once again, after Moscow’s mayor tore up a proposed plan at a meeting of the city government, saying that bureaucratic hurdles have made the idea unfeasible.
Mayor Yuri Luzhkov says: “The Moscow air taxi service is a totally pointless thing,” despite hitherto being a vociferous proponent of the idea. “It is practically impossible in these circumstances, especially if we are talking about charter flights,” he adds.
The plan seemed to be underway after the city government issued a decree, “On the concept of Moscow air taxi development” in 2004. The plan was devised in spite of federal legislation prohibiting civil flights over Moscow except in emergencies.
Protracted wrangling with the military authorities, who control air traffic, only produced a dispensation for individual commercial flights over the course of the Moscow river and major land transport arteries, which was unlikely to give air taxis any advantage over existing transport systems.
Environmental agencies also noted that the plan, which envisaged the construction of helipads at ten sites in the city including several parks, could infringe environmental legislation.
Luzhkov maintained however, that inter-city flights to Russia’s outlying regions remained a viable component of the scheme.
The mayor’s abandonment of the scheme comes as the Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod announces it is increasing the production rate of the M-101 Gzhel aircraft, in order to meet an order for 15 aircraft from the Dexter air taxi programme, which will run inter-city flights from Moscow to nearby cities by the end of 2006.
“There are four M-101s operating now, with a fleet of six to be available later in May,” says Yevgeni Andrachnikov, Dexter project manager at the Avia Management Group.
Source: Flight International
