MOSCOW, May 9 (Itar-Tass) — Germany’s aviation authority has given green light to all charter flights en route Moscow-Dresden-Moscow that Russia’s Yakutia air carrier planned to make on Wednesday, an official from the Russian federal air transport agency (Rosaviatsia) told Itar-Tass.
“As a result of negotiations Germany’s aviation authority allowed the air carrier to make flights along this route,” the official said specifying that Yakutia’s flights to Dresden on other days are being discussed.
Rosaviatsia laid the blame for the situation 362 Russian tourists found themselves in on the air carrier.
“Germany’s aviation authority has warned Yakutia air carrier beforehand that these flights cannot be fulfilled. However, for some reasons the air carrier has not notified Russia’s aviation authority about this fact,” the official said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Russian federal tourism agency (Rostourism), Oleg Moseyev, told Itar-Tass earlier that 362 Russian tourists cannot fly from Germany to Russia.
“According to the information we have from DMV tour operator, 362 Russian tourists remain in Dresden Airport and cannot fly home,” he said. Moreover, “another 361 tourists are waiting for their flight in Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.”
The spokesman underlined that “soon after the situation with Yakutia air carrier emerged, Rostourism began to conduct consultations with Rosaviatsia and the management of DMV.”
“We hope that our citizens will be able to return home within the upcoming days and that the situation will be resolved within the shortest possible timeframe,” Moseyev said expressing regret that “tourists once again became hostages of a complicated situation.”