Krasair suffers delays due to fuel shortages and passengers threaten to block the runways at Yemelyanovo

Published: 8/31/1999

Fuel shortages are continuing to disrupt passenger flights. On August 19th 1999, owing to the lack of fuel, ten flights were delayed at Yemelyanovo airport. Over 1,000 passengers gathered in the airport's terminal. Only three aircraft had taken off the previous day: two to Tura and one to Moscow, with a refueling stop at Abakan. Passengers had to sleep in the terminal, as the airport hotel was full. Few took up Krasair's offer of transport back to the city on the airline's buses, as most were afraid that the plane might leave without them reported Kommersant from Krasnoyarsk. Those on a plane that was refueling were not allowed into the terminal, because it was overcrowded. In frustration, passengers picketed on the airfield, demanding that the aircraft leave immediately, otherwise they would block the runway. Krasair management eventually convinced passengers to bear with the situation until the evening, when the fuel would be delivered. The first aircraft left Yemelyanovo for Anapa around 8pm, with the rest following until midnight.

Article ID: 808