Investigators inspect delays of flights of VIM-Avia

MOSCOW, Sep 25 (PRIME) -- The Moscow transport investigation department of the Russian Investigative Committee has launched a pre-investigation check of flight delays of airline VIM-Avia from Domodedovo International Airport on request by head of the committee Alexander Bastrykin, the authority said in a statement on September 23.

The company has been delaying the majority of its flights since mid-summer, and the Transport Ministry and the Federal Air Transport Agency had to interfere. The airline explained the delays by a late arrival of planes from technical maintenance.

The committee said that VIM-Avia delayed 15 domestic and international flights scheduled for September 22 and September 23, and even sold tickets to the flights being well aware it would be unable to carry out the flights.

The transport department of the Volga Region’s Prosecutor’s office also said in a statement that VIM-Avia’s wage arrears exceed 206 million rubles, and the authority launched several administrative cases against the airline.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the airline delayed its scheduled and charter flights because of fuel debts to the Domodedovo airport. The ministry and the service had to schedule a meeting of the anti-crisis committee to discuss the situation, and the ministry ordered the agency to choose agent airlines that will carry out VIM-Avia’s flights if the airline has to suspend its activity.

A representative of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia told PRIME that the airline partially redeemed its debt to the airport on September 23, while an airport representative confirmed that the airline had launched some of its delayed flights. VIM-Avia itself said in a statement that it was developing a plan of settling the situation with authorities, and finished negotiations with financial organizations that agreed to support the company.

The Transport Ministry said in a statement that the agency may limit the booking pattern of the airline if necessary.

More than two years ago, the then second largest airline Transaero suffered similar problems. It failed to service about 250 billion rubles of debts, and its air operator certificate was recalled. On September 13, 2017, the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region declared Transaero bankrupt.

(57.6527 rubles – U.S. $1)

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