Ak Bars Aero (Bugulma) and other Russian carriers serving the recently annexed Crimean peninsula are set to receive subsidies after Moscow moved to increase the number of eligible routes.
The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) announced on Tuesday that the following flights to Simferopol would now be eligible for Russian-state subsidies: Khabarovsk Novy, Norilsk, and Yakutsk.
The subsidies are aimed at improving the accessibility of sanatoriums in the internationally-unrecognised Republic of Crimea to both Russian and foreign tourists.
Following the occupation of the peninsula in March this year, Russia moved to annex the territory after a roundly-condemned referendum voted to cede from Ukraine.
