"Russia would not like aviation authorities in either country to influence companies' competitiveness; that's not our business. We should provide equal conditions to all companies," Igor Levitin, who is on a working trip to the U.S., told RIA Novosti.
Levitin said, for example, the luggage of Russian airline Aeroflot [RTS: AFLT] passengers flying from Moscow to Washington and landing in New York is taken out for inspection, and they lose time.
"It's wrong to touch luggage at a transfer point if a passenger has a ticket to Washington," he said.
Levitin said he told his American colleagues that it is easier to take a car to Washington from New York than wait four hours until the airplane resumes the flight.
"If you fly an American airline, they won't treat you like that," he said, adding that there could be elements of competition in such actions.
The minister said one possible explanation could be U.S. companies' concern that the Russian airline's positions would strengthen as part of the SkyTeam international air alliance that Aeroflot joined in April 2006.
He said U.S. airlines are attempting to crowd SkyTeam out of the market even though two American companies, Delta and Continental, are part of the alliance.
SkyTeam comprises Aeromexico, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. The airlines operated 15,207 daily flights to 684 destinations in 133 countries in 2005.
Levitin met with heads of the U.S. transportation security administration and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.
