As Kommersant has learned, the An-2 Operators Association proposes to introduce state regulation of prices for jet fuel and aviation gasoline to combat rising prices due to the projected fuel shortage. Other market participants say that their gasoline reserves will be enough for another month of aviation operations, and light aircraft have already begun testing flights on reduced-quality motor gasoline. Experts believe that the idea of regulating prices will most likely result in only a fuel shortage.
The Association of An-2 Operators will send a proposal to the Ministry of Transport by the end of June to introduce state regulation of prices for jet fuel and aviation gasoline, Vladimir Antonov, president of the association, told Kommersant. According to him, in the spring the association sent a proposal to regulate prices for aviation gasoline, which is mainly used in small aviation, to the Federal Air Transport Agency, where they did not comment on this issue for the association. The Federal Air Transport Agency told Kommersant that the proposal had been considered, but it was beyond the authority of the agency. Kommersant sent questions to the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy.
As Vladimir Antonov explained, small and large aviation have common difficulties with prices for services and a decrease in demand. If passenger airlines already spend more than a third of all expenses on fuel, then in small aviation this share is even higher and in total this worsens the economics of transportation, demand for services and passenger traffic, he noted.
853 An-2
are in the civil register of the Federal Air Transport Agency for 2026.
From June 1 to November 30, the export of jet fuel was limited for the first time in Russia to ensure a stable situation in the domestic market. According to the FAS, the average price of an export alternative for jet fuel in the ports of the North-West in March, amid the conflict in the Middle East, doubled year-on-year and by February, to 147.45 thousand rubles. per ton, adjusted to 140.89 thousand rubles. per ton in April and 1150.3 thousand rubles. per ton in May. A Kommersant source at the beginning of June estimated the average wholesale cost of jet fuel at approximately 110 thousand rubles. per ton (see “Kommersant” dated June 2).
In a letter reviewed by Kommersant, the An-2 Operators Association indicates that the situation is particularly acute with aviation gasoline, due to rising prices for which market participants are forced to use motor gasoline, which is “not always of good quality.”
The increase in prices for aviation gasoline is comparable to jet fuel, says Dmitry Toropov, general director of LightAir. The situation with its availability, he notes, “has always been bad, but is now getting worse.” At large airports, according to him, only partners in Ufa and Volgograd have aviation gasoline; at most other airports and airfields, small aircraft carry gasoline with them in special containers or “rescue” in private flying clubs.
Executive Director of the Association of Aircraft Works Vadim Tsyganash says that the Ministry of Transport has relaxed fuel supply requirements for light aircraft and now, with an assessment certificate, they can be refueled with motor gasoline instead of aviation gasoline.
According to him, operators have now asked engine manufacturers about the possibility of working with gasoline according to Euro-3 standards. Now operators with Rotax-912 engines are replacing them with the Chinese equivalent of C100 (SP-30, Aeroprakt aircraft, etc.) and have begun testing this fuel in flights to check the engine’s performance. According to Mr. Tsyganash, the use of gasoline with a reduced octane number can lead to engine detonation or a decrease in its thrust and contamination of gas exhaust systems, and therefore issues of fuel supply control are very strict. So far, the tests are going well and there are no negative effects observed, but there is little time for final conclusions, he clarified. In three months, the association’s members completed work on an area of 1 million hectares; there are still four months of agricultural work ahead, which the operators expect to carry out using Euro-3 gasoline, added Vadim Tsyganash. For forest aviation protection beyond the Urals, according to the association, where Cessna aircraft operate only on 100LL aviation gasoline, fuel reserves will be enough for 1–1.5 months.
The situation is not yet critical, but it is moving in this direction; within a month the issue will become acute, Mr. Tsyganash notes.
The idea of state regulation, in his opinion, does not seem appropriate for aerial chemical work, but may be relevant for forest protection. Indexation of prices for gas stations so far leads to an increase in prices for services by no more than a few percent, he estimates.
Taking into account the general difficulties with fuel, the expectation of a shortage among operators is logical, notes Sergei Detenyshev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Small Aviation Enterprises. But potential state regulation of prices could only aggravate the problem of the discrepancy between demand and supply, he believes. With free pricing, companies will still have the opportunity to predict their work and include the cost of fuel in the services; otherwise, “the price may become prescriptively low, but there will be no fuel,” warns Mr. Detenyshev.
The fuel situation also worries passenger airlines. Kommersant’s interlocutors at two carriers reported that since the beginning of June, in a number of regions, tankers have stopped tanking aircraft – that is, refueling them beyond what is required for the flight (taking into account possible changes in the route and weather conditions).
Kommersant’s sources see in this the first signs of the fight against the emerging fuel shortage. But a Kommersant interlocutor close to the Ministry of Transport claims that refusal to tank is “a practice that existed everywhere before this year,” although, according to him, it became more noticeable against the backdrop of attempts by carriers to stockpile.
Aeroflot, S7 and Ural Airlines declined to comment. Red Wings noted that jet fuel costs in the structure of transportation costs are about 30% and the company is carrying out its flight program, also considering the possibility of opening new routes, despite minor fluctuations in fuel costs. In June at SPIEF, the head of Aeroflot, Sergei Alexandrovsky, said that refueling costs for the group had increased by 7% since the beginning of the year.
Kommersant’s sources in two more companies are concerned about how damper payments will be made after the introduction of restrictions on the export of jet fuel from June 1. In their opinion, the lack of supplies abroad will completely nullify payments.
RedWings pointed out to Kommersant that “the damper mechanism is an important tool that allows you to partially compensate for the increase in fuel costs and not shift these risks to passengers.” According to the damper, carriers are compensated for 65% of the difference between the export price of kerosene and the fixed price (67.3 thousand rubles for 2026). According to Reuters, in April airlines could receive 24 billion rubles from the damper, in May – about 16 billion rubles.
The fuel market today is complex and carriers’ concerns regarding prices are understandable, says Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal. But state regulation, as historical practice has shown, is a completely ineffective method that threatens shortages. The expert calls possible adjustments to the damper mechanism the optimal solution to prevent price increases. “Perhaps it is worth revising the price cut-off bar and extending export restrictions so that it is profitable for oil companies to sell fuel on the domestic market, and for carriers to compensate for costs,” he believes.
