This was reported by the Minister of Transport Andrejus Nikitinas.
“There are always so-called passengers on flights who do not show up for the flight – those who are late, postponed their trip, or simply changed their mind on the day of departure. Because of this, there are free seats on the plane,” he told the news agency RIA Novosti.
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Carriers will be required to compensate passengers who fail to get a seat on the plane, as well as provide the opportunity to choose an alternative flight and ensure comfortable waiting conditions.
Overbooking is beneficial for airlines because it allows them to generate additional revenue. Initially, this mechanism is planned to be applied only to routes with frequent flights.
Overbooking is a widely used practice in global aviation.
The chairman of the Public Council of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Nikolai Ivanovsky, noted that airlines have long used statistical models that allow them to predict how many passengers will not show up for the flight. In such cases, airlines can sell several more tickets than there are seats on the plane.
However, if all ticket holders show up for the flight, there will not be enough seats for some passengers. The most civilized solution to this problem is to find volunteer passengers who agree to move their trip to another flight in exchange for compensation.
In Russia, this practice is not enshrined in law, and in 2026 the court recognized it as illegal. In January 2026, the Ob city court of the Novosibirsk region considered a case against the airline S7 Airlines and made a decision not in favor of the carrier.
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