Flight delay chaos continues in Moscow airports

Flight delay chaos continues in Moscow airports ( Photo : Ria Novosti )

December 28, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- Situation in two Moscow airports where thousands of people remain stranded due to weather anomalies remained tense on Monday.

Severe freezing rain, which covered the entire territory of Central Russia over the weekend, has suspended many of the country's daily activities, causing serious power outages and disrupting the operations of public transportation and airports.

The delays were caused by power outages and ice at the Domodedovo airport and by de-icing aircraft at Sheremetyevo. The association of Russian travel companies said flight delays affected more than 20,000 people. Some 7,000 of them are still waiting for their flights in Sheremetyevo.

Flight delay chaos continues in Moscow airports ( Photo : Ria Novosti )

  Electricity supplies, disrupted over the weekend in Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport, head of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said on Tuesday.

Two halls of Domodedovo, Moscow's largest airport, remained without electricity or Internet access until early on Tuesday.

"Forty minutes ago power supplies from the second substation resumed in full," Rosaviatsia chief Alexander Neradko said.

He added that the airport will be back on schedule in the next two or three days.

The airport, which currently remains closed to all inbound flights, expects to serve up to 350 departing flights later on Tuesday, including 100 flights delayed on Sunday and Monday.

Flight delay chaos continues in Moscow airports ( Photo : Ria Novosti )

  Angry passengers in Sheremetyevo blocked entrance to the safety check area after their flight to Thailand was again postponed after a 24-hour delay. They drummed on the floor with their airport security trays to protest against the management's negligence of the situation.

"The situation is like that - people have no information, they are hungry and very, very angry," a passenger from a delayed flight told RIA Novosti.

"People are angered mostly by the fact that there is no explanations [from the airport staff]," said another passenger, stranded in Sheremetyevo. "Many are about to go ballistic."

According to most recent reports, protestors have already calmed down.

Passengers and police dismissed earlier reports of brawls in Domodedovo.

"The situation is calm, no brawls, attempts to break through passport control cordons or any other incidents were registered," the airport's press service said.  (*)


MOSCOW, December 28