DUSHANBE , May 25, Asia-Plus - Tajik Antimonopoly Committee has imposed a fine of 160,000 Somonis (equivalent to 8,000 minimal monthly wages) on Tajik State Air Company “Tojikiston” for ignoring the antimonopoly commission’s ruling to lower individual air fares.  

Davlatnazar Qurbonov, an official with the Antimonopoly Committee, has told Asia-Plus that the air carrier should pay those 160,000 Somonis (equivalent to some US$50,000) to the national budget within a month after the ruling was given.  

We will recall that the antimonopoly agency instituted case against the airline “Tojikiston” for excessively high prices on May 24.  

According to Mr. Qurbonov, it is the second case over the past five years when a fine is recovered from the national air carrier for ignoring rulings given by the antimonopoly agency.  

In the meantime, the airline “Tojikiston” intends to dispute its position.  “We intend to take the case to courts,” the source in the air carrier said.  

 As it had been reported earlier, the airline “Tojikiston” raised prices of air tickets on the flight Dushanbe–Moscow by 68 percent in mid-April, from US$209 to US$345.  The antimonopoly commission considers that price of ticket on the flight Dushanbe-Moscow should be US$250-US$270 and the price on of the ticket on the flight Moscow-Dushanbe should be US$200.  While the air carrier considers that the basic tariff for the flights from Dushanbe to Moscow and back should be note less than US$600.           

            It is to be noted that as law-applying body the Antimonopoly Committee has the right of imposing fines of up to 20,000 minimal monthly wages for ignoring its ruling.