State airline Aeroflot has sharply increased prices for flights to host cities during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Vedomosti newspaper reported on Friday.
From June 8 next year, a week before the tournament begins, Aeroflot fares between Moscow and eight regional host cities are between four and six times higher than normal, the paper said.
The cheapest flight between Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, rose fourfold to 19,005 rubles ($315) – around two-thirds of the average Russian monthly wage. The lowest fare to Volgograd was six times higher at 20,354 rubles, Vedomosti said.
The other cities affected were Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, St. Petersburg and Sochi, according to the paper.
Aeroflot told Vedomosti the rises were due to an error in their booking system and customers who had overpaid could get refunds.
Russia will host the Football World Cup from June 14 to July 15 next year.