Medvedev orders review after snow chaos at Moscow airports - Summary

Tue, 28 Dec 2010

Moscow- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has asked the country's top prosecutor, Yuri Chaika, to review operations at Moscow's international airports, the Kremlin announced Tuesday, following days of weather-related chaos and delays.

Freezing rain storms that hit Central Russia over the weekend wreaked havoc with flight schedules, with 20,000 passengers ultimately affected, according to reports.

Thousands of stranded passengers continued to wait for their flights Tuesday at the largest of Moscow's airports, Domodedovo, and the smaller Sheremetyevo airport.

Experts from the prosecutor's office will be dispatched to both facilities. A spokesman said passenger rights need to be protected.

Moscow's new mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, has also promised help.

Airlines have blamed the airport operator for the chaos. British Airways complained that a flight to London has been delayed since Monday because ground personnel has been unable to organize its passengers and their luggage.

A Sheremetyevo spokesman, meanwhile, criticized the communication policies of Russia's largest airline, Aeroflot, which has its base at the airport.

"The passengers don't know where they are supposed to go," he said.

Numerous travelers have also complained that they did not receive any food or drinks.

At Sheremetyevo, angry passengers reportedly attacked Aeroflot employees.

"Several officials were beaten as they negotiated with the passengers," one Aeroflot worker told the Ria Novosti news agency, saying that the employees don't dare go outside now since their safety can't be guaranteed.

The Sheremetyevo spokesman denied reports about the clashes, but admitted that "police units were boosted."

At Domodedovo, meanwhile, waiting passengers were left without power Sunday when a major cable connecting the electric power stations snapped. Traffic on its access roads also backed up for 20 kilometers in some places.

Several flights were re-routed to Moscow's third airport, Vnukovo.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359944,moscow-airports-summary.html.