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Ideal World tourists stranded at Israeli airport

Russian Consul to Israel Ruslan Kandaurov told Itar-Tass the diplomats were expecting updated lists of the tourists

TEL AVIV, April 22 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian clients of the Ideal World tour operator are stranded at an Israeli airport. Some of them have preferred buying new tickets home, and the rest are receiving assistance from the Russian consular department in Tel Aviv, Transaero and Aeroflot airlines, the Russian embassy told Itar-Tass.

Fifty-four tourists are unable to leave Israel. Thirty-eight of them were supposed to have Aeroflot tickets and the rest – tickets of Transaero. The Ideal World representative to Israel told the tourists that the company had dismissed her and she would not give any help.

Transaero told Itar-Tass that the tourists had no electronic tickets; instead they produced ticket booking certificates issued by the tour operator. It appeared that the booking was annulled because the tour operator did not pay for the tickets. Nine or ten tourists were offered to buy Transaero tickets and boarded the flight. No other clients of the Ideal World have tried to board a Transaero flight so far, the airline said.

Aeroflot does not have an office in Israel, but its interests are represented by the local company Open Sky. The later told Itar-Tass they were working to solve the problem but that would take time: it is a day off in Russia and the matter needs to be coordinated with the Aeroflot Moscow headquarters.

Russian Consul to Israel Ruslan Kandaurov told Itar-Tass the diplomats were expecting updated lists of the tourists. Those who can buy tickets, should do that and settle the problem with the tour operator in Moscow. Those who have no money will be provided accommodation, food and other support, he said.