MOSCOW. June 27 (Interfax) - The rules regulating flight traffic over major cities could be liberalized, President Vladimir Putin said, but before doing that the technological standards and discipline should be enhanced in this sphere, he told Russian senators on Wednesday.
"In Russian conditions it is very difficult to maintain this process at an appropriate technological level with the flight discipline observed," Putin said.
"There are fears we will not manage to administer this process properly, he said.
"But we need to move in this direction step by step, liberalize this sphere and exercise standard regulation, control and discipline," the president said.
"However, the mere go-ahead to flights over major cities won't solve the problem of traffic jams," he said. "Roads, interchanges, overpasses, bridges and tunnels must be built, and municipal transport systems must be developed. We won't resolve the problem by merely allowing helicopter flights over Moscow," Putin said.