MOSCOW, July 5 (Itar-Tass) - About a third of members of the Russian delegation at the international air show in Farnborough (on July 9-15) cannot get entry visas in the British Embassy, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reported. They are mainly the chief executives of the aircraft building enterprises, which scheduled negotiations with foreign partners. This step is taken as pressure related with Russia’s uncompromising position on the weapon sales to Syria. In retaliation the threats are voiced to boycott a next air show Farnborough-2014.
Russia faces for the first time visa problems for its delegates, the newspaper noted. Meanwhile, the visas are denied quite selectively, almost only to the top managers, without whom the Russian participation in the exhibition is senseless. Although this is only them who can negotiate with foreign partners, planned deals can be thwarted at all if the negotiations disrupted.
Officials from the enterprises take the unprecedented situation with visas as the type of pressure on Russia over the supplies of Russian weapons to Syria. Since the Russian main arms exporting company Rosoboronexport, on which the West threatens to impose sanctions, deals with the Russian participation in foreign exhibitions, this theory looks quite convincingly.
Since British companies rarely participate in the Moscow aerospace show (MAKS) in Zhukovsky, an adequate response cannot be given. Therefore, the threats are voiced to boycott a next air show Farnborough-2014. At first sight the threat is ridiculous, but not everything is unequivocal, the newspaper believes.
The Russian exposition spreads on 1,600 square meters this year. One should multiply by at least 500 dollars of rental fee for a square meter. This is the funds, which the air show will not receive next time. But the organizers of the exhibition will yield the main profit from the ticket sale to the spectators on two days-off. In the last few years their number is constantly on decline. If half a million people gathered for the air show some time ago, now 150,000 people visit the exhibition. The main attraction for them is flying stunts.
All European aerobatics groups fly on light training airplanes. Only the aerobatics group Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) fly on heavy fighters Su-27. This exclusive show is a highlight of the organizers of the air show.