On March 1, 2026, new air transportation rules came into force in Russia, which significantly expand the rights of passengers. Now it is possible to refund the full cost of even a non-refundable ticket if the flight is delayed by more than 30 minutes, in case of illness of the passenger or his close relative, or if an error was made in the ticket due to the fault of the carrier. In addition, if a passenger is late for a connecting flight, his return ticket is no longer automatically burned.

The new rules clearly regulate assistance in case of delays: water must be provided within an hour after a two—hour wait, hot meals - if the delay exceeds four hours. In case of a delay of more than eight hours during the day or six hours at night, passengers are accommodated free of charge at the hotel with a transfer.

There are also important changes for families with children: airlines are required to provide adjacent seats for children under 12 years old and any accompanying adult free of charge, and on domestic flights for children from 2 to 12 years old, a mandatory 50 percent discount on the fare remains.

Finally, an electronic boarding pass on a smartphone is officially equivalent to a paper one, and all airports in the country are now required to accept it upon boarding.