Russia nationalizes critical air travel distribution and settlement infrastructure

Moscow Sheremetyevo airport :: ATO.ru

Moscow has seized control of the Leonardo reservation system and the Transport Clearing House (TCH), marking a state takeover of the country’s major air travel distribution network.

On February 20, a Moscow court granted a petition from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office to transfer the assets of Sirena-Travel and the Transport Clearing House into state ownership. Both entities have long served as the backbone of the Russian commercial aviation market.

Established in 1994, Transport Clearing House (TCH) manages the Settlement System for Air Transport (SVVT). Similar to IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP), it standardizes ticket sales, bookings, and financial reporting between airlines and travel agencies. It also serves as the primary source of operational statistics for Russian state regulators.

Sirena-Travel is the developer of Leonardo, Russia’s sovereign Passenger Service System (PSS) and Global Distribution System (GDS). Following the withdrawal of Western providers such as Sabre and Amadeus in early 2022, the majority of Russian carriers migrated to Leonardo PSS to maintain domestic operations.

The seizure stems from a Prosecutor General’s investigation into the 2003 bankruptcy of the state-owned “Main Agency of Civil Aviation Air Communications.” Authorities successfully argued that the TCH and Sirena-Travel—which provide “critically significant information services”—had since fallen under “criminal influence and foreign control.”

By bringing these assets under direct state oversight, the Russian government ensures control over the financial flows and data sovereignty of its civil aviation sector. RT-Transcom, an affiliate of the state defense conglomerate Rostec, currently serves as the primary integrator for the Leonardo system.