​​The Air Transport Settlement System (ATSS) has been in operation since January 1, 1993.

The ATSS has been implemented:

  • As a result of decentralization, demonopolization and deregulation of the national economy and airline industry;
  • Under initiative of the largest airlines and travel agencies of Russia and the CIS supported by the Russian aviation authorities (in 1992 and subsequent years), Air Transport Operators Association (AEVT) and Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC);
  • Within a record short period of time – one year;
  • By analogy to ASP ARC (USA) and BSP IATA.

In 1992, the Department of Air Transport (DAT) of the RF Ministry of Transport issued the following orders and directives:

Order № ДВ-76 "On Transition to Direct Settlement of Revenue and Settlement for Commercial and Technical Services" as of July 2, 1992.

This Order obligated air transport enterprises to migrate to direct settlement of the revenues from the sale of passenger and cargo transportation with travel agencies and settlement for airport commercial and technical services starting from October 1, 1992. The Main Agency of Civil Aviation (Glavagentstvo), as a government entity, was elected as a general client of the Settlement System.

Directive № 32/и "On transition to new scheme of audit coupons issuance and transfer from airports to airlines" as of August 10, 1992, which effected (in a trail mode) the "Transitional Technology of Traffic Document Issuance and Transfer from Airports to Airlines" as from September 15, 1992.

Directive № 33/и "On transition to the new scheme of traffic document issuance in agencies" as of August 10, 1992, which obligated the air travel agencies to adopt "(Transitional) Rules for Traffic Document Issuance in the Context of Direct Revenue Settlements"; improve the AS "Sirena-2" and introduce these improvements in accordance with the rules for "settlement system".

Directive № ДВ-69/и "On Organization of the Operation of Settlement System" of November 20, 1992, which established guidelines for the Settlement System operation management, including execution of "General Agreement on settlements between airlines, agencies, airports and the bodies of the RF Air Traffic Control Сenters, CIS, Baltic States and Georgia". The directive also obligated the Main Agency of Civil Aviation to establish the Clearing House of Airlines (CHA), Russian Settlement Centre, and Data Maintenance Centre (future Schedule & Tariffs Centre) for "the registration, distribution and maintenance of fares/tariffs; coordination and timely updating of airlines schedules; and code assignment". The directive also obligated airlines to establish their own Settlement Centers and set up subaccounts with the Clearing Bank ("Aviaservice" branch of UNIKOMBANK in Moscow). The agencies were to establish their divisions for primary documentation processing to ensure revenue settlements, sign agreements with CHA and the Clearing Bank on revenue remittance and with the Russian Settlement Centers – agreements on information exchange. The airports and Air Traffic Control Сenters were to charge airlines for services and fueling (with aviation fuel and lubricants) via CHA and control payment.

Order № ДВ-163 "On commencement of the Settlement System Operations" of December 30, 1992 which obligated aviation enterprises – RF carriers, independent airports and air travel agencies – "to migrate (as from January 1, 1993) to direct settlement in accordance with the DAT orders and directives issued earlier, the regulatory and technological documents as amended from time to time that were developed and communicated to all participants of the air transport process". The Order also obligated aviation enterprises to "elect candidates to the Control Council of Settlement before January 15, 1993", cancelled the Order № 61 of the USSR Ministry of Civil Aviation "On Improvement of Revenue Accrual System" as of March 21, 1991, and requested the Deputy Director of Air Transport Department of RF Ministry of Transport to "establish a scheme of settlement between the carriers of RF, CIS and Baltic states and Georgia".