On Monday, September 25, the Russian Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency announced that the VIM-Avia airline is suspending charter passenger transportation. Already today, all 14 flights scheduled for the day were canceled at the company’s base airport - Domodedovo.

What happened to the company

The airline, whose flights began at the end of May, has run out of money and can no longer fulfill its obligations to passengers. The debt to airports and fuel suppliers is, according to The Bell, about 10 billion rubles. Lenders, in particular Zenit Bank, which is close to the government of Tatarstan, do not want to continue financing the company.

How many passengers could be affected by this?

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia believes that the situation with the carrier “will lead to a collapse in the tourism and aviation markets,” and calls on the state to intervene. ATOR estimates the potential number of tourists who may be affected by flight cancellations at 100 thousand people. According to the estimates of the Tourist Assistance Association, 43 thousand of them are now abroad: in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and Crete.

How VIM-Avia plans to get out of the crisis

The company itself assures that “all possible measures are being taken to remove passengers as quickly as possible.”

PRESS SERVICE "VIM-AVIA"

On behalf of the entire VIM-Avia airline, we apologize to the passengers of the delayed flights. Unfortunately, we have to admit that the VIM-Avia airline has a difficult economic situation. Working capital has run out, funding has been frozen, and airport services have been suspended. IN this moment We continue negotiations with financial institutions to support the airline to normalize the situation and expedite the removal of passengers. The airline counts on the support of government agencies, as well as partners from tourism industry. And since the airline cannot operate flights without additional funding, we are planning to introduce external crisis management.

The incredible situation with the mass cancellation of VIM Air flights has led to the fact that many passengers are forced to do something with the tickets they purchased so as not to find themselves in the situation of those tens of thousands of people who are stuck at several resort airports. If you have a VIM Avia ticket in your hands, what to do with it and how to issue a refund, read the article.

What to do with VIM Avia tickets

Firstly, you don't have to return your tickets. The obligations to operate VIM Avia flights were assumed by Ural Airlines, Nordstar, Red Wings, North wind, Yakutia, Icarus and I Fly.

In order to resolve the current situation, 200 million rubles were allocated from the Russian budget. This money will be used to pay off the expenses of the above companies that transport VIM Avia passengers on regular and charter flights.

In addition, it was decided to allocate extra-budgetary funds to pay off VIM Avia’s debt to airports, as well as to pay for fuel. Such measures were taken to ensure the airline's charter flights from abroad to Russia. Moreover, external managers will control the expenditure of funds.

VIM Avia passengers are also transported to Russia at the expense of tour operators, who are forced to involve the flights of other charter airlines in cooperation. It is interesting that the Greek carrier Ellin Air also offered its help, expressing its readiness to fly out VIM Avia passengers, and at its own expense.

You can follow the current schedule of VIM Avia flights and news on the official website of the Federal Air Transport Agency - favt.ru (section "News") or on the official website of Vnukovo Airport - vnukovo.ru (where flights from Domodedovo were transferred by agreement).

Latest news from VIM Avia

Currently, according to representatives of the Federal Air Transport Agency, there are no longer large concentrations of VIM Avia passengers. Gradually, all airline passengers are transported to Russia both on VIM Avia flights itself and on flights of airlines that have undertaken the corresponding obligations.

In addition, tour operators are not sleeping either. Almost all passengers whose trips for October were “tied” to VIM Avia flights have already been re-booked onto flights of other carriers.

From October 1, VIM Avia canceled regular flights to Simferopol and Sochi. It is planned to operate regular flights to cities until October 15 Far East, then they will be canceled too.

Refund of VIM Avia e-tickets

You can only issue a refund for an air ticket where it was purchased. That is, you need to contact exactly the agency where you booked your flight. If you did this at the ticket office, you need to go there and be sure to have your passport with you.

If the ticket was issued on the official website of VIM Avia, a refund request must be sent to [email protected]. In your request, be sure to include your full name, flight number, electronic air ticket, departure time and date, booking number and contact number phone. Once your application has been processed, you will be sent an estimate of the refund amount minus any penalties or fees. You will need to agree with the calculation, then the return will be completed and you will receive the appropriate certificate. If the ticket was paid for by credit card, after the refund is processed, the money will be credited to your account within 30 business days.

You will need to print out the certificate; you will need it to return it. Money. If the ticket was paid for through Euroset, you will need to contact the nearest salon with this certificate, passport and receipt for payment of the ticket. The money will be refunded in cash.

If the ticket was paid through the Qiwi terminal, the money will be returned to the card. But to do this, you will need to write an additional application and send it to the airline’s contact e-mail specified above. You can download the application form on the company’s official website.

Please note that in case of a voluntary return (if the flight has not been officially cancelled), not all funds will be refunded. The airline will deduct a refund processing fee. The amount of the fee depends on the tariff.

1000 rub. — when making a refund more than one day before the departure date;

1000 rub. and 50% of the fare amount if returned less than one day before departure;

2000 rub. and 50% of the fare amount when processing a refund after departure.

Promo tickets are non-refundable. What is it and in what cases can you get your money back? non-refundable ticket, .

In situations where you are applying for a refund on an officially canceled flight, the money will be refunded in full. Regardless of the fare, including non-refundable Promo fare tickets.

All charter flights. This was preceded by massive flight delays, as a result of which thousands of tourists were unable to fly out of airports. The carrier's debts are estimated at billions of rubles. The company has no funds either for compensation for tourists or for replacing delayed flights.

How did it all start?

The company's first difficulties began at the end of spring: on May 31, VIM-Avia canceled hundreds of flights throughout the country. Two days later, charter flights to Turkey, Bulgaria and a number of others were postponed popular destinations. In just a week, about 10 thousand passengers were unable to fly due to disruptions in transportation. Most of them are clients of NTK Intourist tour operators, Coral Travel,ICS Travel Group and others.

At the same time, the Federal Air Transport Agency threatened with the possibility of canceling charter flights in Russia if massive delays continued. Later this information was refuted. VIM-Avia assumed part of its obligations to transport passengers Turkish Onur Air and Bulgarian Bulgaria Air.

VIM-Avia eliminated the disruptions in the flight schedule by mid-June. However, the company has already managed to attract the attention of law enforcement agencies. An administrative case was opened against the carrier due to the delay of 173 flights in two months in total.

Why were the delays repeated?

Spot failures occurred in the schedule in the summer. But the situation became serious on September 23. Then it became known about the company’s multibillion-dollar debts, which VIM-Avia was unable to repay. Thus, the carrier owed Domodedovo Airport over 500 million rubles for aircraft maintenance, and also systematically did not pay salaries to its employees. Flight attendants and pilots alone were underpaid by about 30 million rubles. The total debt to staff is 206 million rubles. The company's accounts payable are estimated to range from 3 to 10 billion rubles.

A prosecutor's investigation into the mass delays has already established that company employees sold tickets to passengers, knowing that they would not be able to fly. The total volume of thefts has not yet been determined, however, according to preliminary estimates, over 140 thousand tourists were affected.

Several hundred passengers are in Domodedovo in the hope that their flight will take place. Many passengers remain at the airports of Antalya, Rimini and a number of popular resorts and cannot return home.

Other air carriers have already announced that they are not going to operate flights instead of VIM-Avia. Over the summer, third-party airlines transported over 220 thousand tourists who bought VIM-Avia tickets. The Russian Union of Travel Industry has already warned that there will be nothing to take tourists out if VIM-Avia planes leave. There are practically no free sides on the market. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) has already demanded government intervention in the situation.

What do they say at VIM-Avia?

Initially, representatives of the carrier attributed the delays to the “traditional seasonal decline” and the late arrival of aircraft from maintenance. However, a few days later, the company's management admitted that it was experiencing significant financial difficulties and was unable to fulfill its obligations to passengers. They see a possible transition of the company under external management as one of the options for getting out of this situation. This is stated on the company's website.

On September 24, the management of VIM-Avia turned to the authorities for government guarantees on loans. The next day, the Federal Air Transport Agency began an unscheduled inspection of the airline due to flight delays. The Ministry of Transport also conducts its inspection. The head of the department, Maxim Sokolov, explained that problems with delays affected mainly charter flights. Regular ones leave with minimal delay from schedule. “The company delayed the repair of a number of aircraft, and in this case, charter programs were naturally cut - this is international practice,” Sokolov noted.

Based on the results of the inspections, the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency decided to suspend VIM-Avia’s charter programs, and the company was obliged to transport passengers from vacation spots independently or with the involvement of third-party forces. From Tuesday, September 26, the company's flights will be Vnukovo Airport.

What happens at airports?

VIM-Avia flights depart with many hours of delays. In Crimea, passengers of the Simferopol-Moscow flight waited at the airport for seven hours.

Both domestic Russian flights (to St. Petersburg, Sochi, Krasnodar, Blagoveshchensk, Magadan) and international flights (Dubai, Antalya, Thessaloniki, Rimini, Yerevan) were postponed. IN foreign airports over 43 thousand airline clients.

Operational headquarters for returning from abroad Russian tourists- VIM-Avia clients at the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm). The service will receive data about clients located abroad and determine the timing of the export of tourists.

Will tourists be able to get their money back?

Rospotrebnadzor has published recommendations for tourists related to compensation for losses. In the current circumstances, the passenger has the right to refuse the flight and receive money even for a non-refundable ticket. In this case, refusal to fly is considered forced.

Moreover, airline customers have the right to demand compensation for moral damages and damages due to flight delays. In addition, passengers may request a hotel if the delay exceeds eight hours. If the flight is delayed by four or more hours, customers should be provided with free hot meals. Also, according to the rules, after two or three hours you can ask for soft drinks.

In most cases, issues with cancellation of charter flights can be resolved through the tour operator. Charter flights are usually not profitable for independent travelers, they fly mainly on package tours. Large tour operators, as a rule, have no problem finding an alternative airline for the flight. The company may offer other vacation options or is obliged to fully compensate the cost of the tour. ATOR assumes that even if VIM-Avia goes bankrupt, the situation will not become critical for the tourism business.

Still, ATOR believes that Russian tour operators cannot afford to return such a number of tourists on their own.

“All charter programs of VIM-Avia until the end of the season were paid in full by tour operators. Tour operators today do not have the technical ability to allocate funds to re-pay for flights (and this, according to preliminary estimates, is at least $10 million) without the threat of disrupting stable operations,” the association’s letter says.

If you bought the ticket yourself, you can only receive compensation by contacting the airline directly. It would be a good idea to follow the messages of the Federal Air Transport Agency and the Ministry of Transport. For canceled flights to EU countries there is a compensation system, thanks to which you can get back up to €600 for a canceled flight.

The Compensair service, which specializes in obtaining compensation for flight delays and cancellations, recommends keeping a cool head and at the same time preparing a number of documents that can further facilitate the refund procedure. So, for example, if a passenger learns about a flight cancellation while already at the airport, he should receive a written comment from the airline or a certificate of cancellation of the flight.

“I recommend collecting contact details of all passengers from the flight. This will allow the airline to file a class action complaint and then a lawsuit. In accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation, the first thing that should definitely be demanded from the airline is fulfillment of transportation obligations. It is unlikely that compensation for delay or cancellation will be obtained directly from the airline, so I recommend that passengers unite to go to court,” said CEO Roman Gilmanov company.

VIM-Avia is reducing charters until June 15. The airline made this decision to minimize extensive flight delays due to the late arrival of three aircraft from scheduled repairs, the carrier said in a statement.

The problem with flights at VIM-Avia began at the end of May, and difficulties arose with both charter and regular flights: some were canceled, others were delayed for several hours. On June 1, the plane, which was supposed to fly from Ufa to Sochi, was delayed for 15 hours. Flights were also postponed in Magadan. The regional authorities promised to sever relations with the airline if the situation repeats.

On Thursday, the management of VIM-Avia was summoned to the Federal Air Transport Agency. After the conversation, the department said that the carrier would need a few more days to fully comply with the schedule. The head of the analytical service of the Aviaport agency, Oleg Panteleev, discusses the possible consequences for the airline:

Oleg Panteleev, head of the analytical service of the Aviaport agency “Given the rather intense flight schedule that was formed by the carrier, the untimely arrival of three wide-body aircraft after maintenance could not but have a rather dramatic effect on the integrity of the flight program. There is no need to say that a two-week break will lead the airline to collapse; at least the volume of lost revenue does not look like an irreparable loss against the background of the company’s annual revenue. On the other hand, if such precedents are repeated, then possible risks for the carrier will increase both on the part of customers of tourist charter programs and on the part of aviation authorities, who, to put it mildly, are not happy with the situation if any of the carriers allows long flight delays. We see that in previous years the Federal Air Transport Agency reacted quite harshly to such precedents, if people were stuck at airports for a day and such disruptions continued for a long time.”

The cause of problems with flights was not only planes that were late for repairs. At the end of May, it was reported that VIM-Avia did not have enough crews: many pilots had run out of sanitary standards by May 20, and they could not fly until the next month.

However, last year the airline also experienced problems, and the Federal Air Transport Agency even warned it about the possibility of limiting its operator’s certificate due to massive flight delays. The head of the travel company Gaudi Tour, Evgeny Potapov, says that he does not cooperate with this carrier:

Evgeniy Potapov, head of the travel company Gaudi Tour “Last year, one of the tour operators had blocks on VIM-Avia, and almost every flight was either delayed or cancelled. There was a scandal, the whole summer was a mess. Therefore, this season, although they promised that new planes would arrive, the fleet was replenished, but, as you can see, it’s the same thing. I got a little caught up on a regular flight. The tourist had a flight to Sochi, and they called a day before and said that it was cancelled. They compensated the full cost, but nevertheless there was such a precedent.”

On VIM-Avia flights this summer, charters were organized by such large tour operators as Anex Tour, NTK Intourist, Coral Travel, Mouzenidis Travel, TUI and others, press secretary of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Irina Tyurina told Interfax. Now the carrier’s problem will fall on their shoulders, advisor to the head of the Federal Tourism Agency Dmitry Gorin told Business FM:

Dmitry Gorin Vice-President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Advisor to the Director Federal agency for tourism “Now the operators have taken on the main burden of resolving the situation. Alas, there are no available planes, and, of course, it will be extremely difficult within two weeks to find a replacement for these flights that VIM-Avia is canceling. Currently, Rosaviatsia is assisting travel companies in finding possible alternatives, but given the start of the high tourist season this year, demand for tourist trips grew by 20-30%, alas, this is not so easy to do. Now, probably, there will be certain changes in flight departure times and airline names, so we recommend that tourists who previously had tickets for VIM-Avia keep track of the latest information via travel companies. Tourists who are currently at the resorts will be transported by the airline. At least this is the official position of VIM-Avia. And tourists who have not yet departed will now be rebooked on flights of other airlines or will receive a refund if transportation is impossible.”

As the head of the Ministry of Transport said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, the department is monitoring the situation with delays of VIM-Avia flights and there are no plans to revoke the airline’s operator certificate at the moment.