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Moscow airport stops servicing flights of Ukrainian airline Aerosvit

The move is linked to the airline’s failure to fulfill obligations on the payment of bills for the airport services and the ground handling of flights
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, December 11 (Itar-Tass) – As of 00:00 hours Tuesday (20:00 hours GMT Monday), Moscow’s major international air hub Sheremetyevo has suspended of servicing of flights of the Ukrainian airline Aerosvit.

“The move is linked to the airline’s failure to fulfill obligations on the payment of bills for the airport services and the ground handling of flights,” Sheremetyevo’s press service said. As of 00:00 hours Moscow Standard Time, the airport stopped the servicing of all the arrivals and departures of the Ukrainian airline.

“On the first day after cancellation of flights, the airport will offer the necessary assistance to passengers in organizing their departures,” a spokesman for the press service said. More specifically, the airport will arrange admissions aboard for the passengers of Aerosvit’s code sharing flights who have obtained the tickets of the Russian airline Aeroflot.

Beginning with December 12 and in subsequent days, the passengers who will have failed to return Aerosvit’s tickets will have to resolve all the arising problems independently and address their requests directly to the airline.

“Aerosvit will be deemed responsible for all the possible consequences /of the situation/ for the passengers,” the spokesman said.

“The airline deceives its passengers, partners and aviation authorities, as it makes claims in the Ukrainian mass media that the situation with the repayment of debts to the airport is stable,” he said.

“In reality, Aerosvit continues the practice of non-payments and breaks the schedule of restructuring of the debt,” the spokesman indicated.

According to the information available to Sheremetyevo’s press service, Aerosvit’s aggregate debt to the various subdivisions of the airport’s compound has exceeded 165.5 million rubles /USD 1=RUB 30.5/.

The debt for jet fuel and fuelling services alone exceeds 60 million rubles, the spokesman said.

He recalled that the airport filed a petition with the Moscow Arbitration Court December 7, 2012, to levy the debt from the airline.

Aerosvit makes six so-called ‘quick return flights’ to Sheremetyevo daily, including four flights along the Kiev-Moscow-Kiev and two flights along the Dnepropetrovsk-Moscow-Dnepropetrovsk routes.

Also, Aerosvit and Aeroflot have code sharing flights to Odessa, Kharkov, Donetsk, Kiev, and Dnepropetrovsk.