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Aeroflot names OrenAir subsidiary chiefs as suspects in tour operator fraud

On August 1, OrenAir company said that this airline suspended co-operation with Ideal-Tour over a 1.5 billion rouble (around $41.6 million) outstanding debt of the tour operator

© ITAR-TASS / Sergei Fadeichev

SELIGER (Tver region), August 24 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian national air carrier Aeroflot asked detectives to probe whether its subsidiary Orenburg Airlines (OrenAir) leadership was involved in a fraud over tourist operator Ideal-Tour, Aeroflot Director-General Vitaly Savelyev told reporters on Sunday.

“We have conducted an internal investigation [of activity by the top management of air companies]. Therefore, we turned for help in investigative bodies,” he said, adding that Aeroflot Group had some claims to how Orenburg Airlines top management was working with Ideal-Tour.

On August 1, OrenAir company said that this airline suspended co-operation with Ideal-Tour over a 1.5 billion rouble (around $41.6 million) outstanding debt of the tour operator. So, several tens of charter flights to Greece, Spain, Turkey, China and Bulgaria were cancelled. Cancelled flights entailed several bankruptcies of tour operators co-operating with Ideal-Tour.

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