Min: Owners, board of directors of Russia’s Transaero have to meet

MOSCOW, Oct 28 (PRIME) -- Shareholders and the board of directors of troubled Russian airline Transaero should meet as soon as possible to discuss problems, Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told PRIME on Tuesday.

“I think that the company’s shareholders and the board of directors should meet as soon as possible, and meet not somewhere abroad, but right here. We are ready to listen to people who are responsible for the company,” he said.

The ministry has not seen a clear action plan of S7 Group owners to buy shares of the troubled airline. “It will be great if the Filyov family (S7 owners) joins this, but for now we have seen no document, there is no action plan to study, only loud words and new problems,” Sokolov said.

On October 20, Vladislav Filyov, a shareholder of S7 Group, which includes Siberia Airlines and Globus Airlines, signed an agreement to acquire an at least 51% stake in Transaero. On Monday, another S7 Group owner Natalya Filyova said the group still plans to finish the deal. A company source close to the deal told PRIME on Tuesday that S7 will acquire 19% in Transaero until the end of the week.

Transaero failed to service its debts which totaled about 250 billion rubles. Its air operating certificate was recalled on Monday, and its passengers are being carried by companies of Aeroflot Group and other airlines. According to a statement in the federal register of corporate activities seen by PRIME Monday, the troubled airline plans to file a bankruptcy suit to court.

(63.5004 rubles – U.S. $1)

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