Over 172 thousand Russians repatriated on special flights in past month
MOSCOW. April 27 (Interfax) - More than 172 thousand Russians have been brought home on special evacuation flights since March 20, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) told Interfax on Monday.
"According to the working group coordinating the return of compatriots from abroad, 172,199 Russians have returned to the Russian Federation from March 20 to April 26," Rosaviatsia said.
Twenty-one evacuation flights brought 2,875 compatriots home in the past week from April 20 to April 26, it said.
There is a schedule of such evacuation flights in place for the period until May 5. "It is planned that Russian airlines will operate flights from Tel Aviv, Rome, Male, Colombo, Bangkok, Phuket, Cam Ranh and Shanghai," the agency said.
The preliminary schedule of such flights planned for April 28 includes an Aeroflot flight from Tel Aviv to Moscow, which is to bring about 250 people to their home country, and the April 29 flight from Rome to St. Petersburg and Moscow, which is due to bring home 150 Russians, it said.
"On April 30, we expect four evacuation flights. Siberia [Airlines] is planning two flights: Cam Ranh - Vladivostok and Dushanbe - Novosibirsk. Ural Airlines will operate a flight from Dushanbe to Surgut and Yekaterinburg. Efforts are underway to organize a multi-destination repatriation flight from Male and Colombo to St. Petersburg and Moscow on April 30. Rossiya is preparing it," Rosaviatsia said.
Another two flights - one from Bangkok to Moscow and the other from Phuket to Kazan - are due to depart on May 1. Russians will also be brought home on a Delhi - Moscow flight from India, on a Shanghai - Vladivostok flight from China, and on a Bishkek - Novosibirsk flight from Kyrgyzstan on May 2, it said.
"Ural Airlines has planned two Moscow-bound flights from Dushanbe and Aqaba for May 3. A Rossiya flight from Denpasar to Moscow is expected on May 4. The preliminary schedule contains a flight with AZUR Air planned for May 5 to take Russians from Cam Ranh to St. Petersburg and Moscow," Rosaviatsia said.