UPDATE: Russia's Aeroflot gets permit to take passengers from Montenegro

(changes headline, lede, adds details in paragraph 2)

MOSCOW, Mar 18 (PRIME) -- Russia's flagship air carrier Aeroflot has received a permit to evacuate Russians from Montenegro, spokeswoman Yulia Spivakova told reporters on Wednesday.

"We have attained a permit from the authorities of Montenegro to carry a charter flight that will take our passengers back home. The plane will depart from Moscow in an hour," the official said.

Late on Tuesday an official of the Federal Air Transport Agency said that the agency and the Foreign Ministry were taking steps to receive a permit for evacuation of Russians from Montenegro.

“In light of the situation, the Federal Air Transport Agency and the Foreign Ministry are taking action to receive necessary permits from Montenegro’s aviation authorities for Russian airlines to perform flights in order to transport Russians from the territory of Montenegro,” the person said.

A source with the Russian aviation authorities said that Montenegro’s government wants Russian air companies to transport 50 citizens of the state to Tivat from Moscow without tickets in exchange for the permit.

A source with Aeroflot’s low-cost subsidiary Pobeda told PRIME earlier that more than 1,000 Russians stayed in Montenegro. Pobeda planned five flights to evacuate its clients to Moscow from Tuesday through Saturday, but the state’s authorities closed the air space and canceled all flights.

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