All domestic flights originating in Moscow airports that are in the schedule of Aeroflot and S7 (Siberia) and have distance flown less than 1500 km (810nm) are temporarily cancelled.

This decision was made on the level of the Russian government, and was made public on Tuesday, 28 December by Russia’s minister for transportation Igor Levitin. The decision was made in the view of a very difficult situation with quality of passenger services being rendered in Sheremetievievo and Domodedovo airports of Moscow.

The main cause is the electricity blackout in Domodedovo that happened in the morning of Sunday and a shortage of anti-icing substances in Aeroflot stocks at Sheremetyevo. Exceptionally bad weather, causing extensive icing, adds to the airports’ deplorable condition.

Levitin said that the ministry has reached agreement with the Russian Rail – the trains will carry passengers that were previously planned to be carried out by Aeroflot and S7 airlines. “The flights are temporarily cancelled whenever possible, in the case when there is a train service also available to the given destinations”, he was quoted as saying. The minister explained that the decision was made “on the consideration of safety”.

“Because of the weather conditions, it was impossible to make some of the scheduled flights on time. Hence, a number of aircraft did not return to their home bases as planned, and flight crews had their work-and-rest schedules broken”, Levitin continued.

Under the agreement reached, the Russian Rail has installed its cashier kiosks right in the airports so that passengers can exchange their airline tickets for train tickets, the minister said. “Aeroflot has brought enough cash [to these kiosks] so that every customer can charge its money back with no problem”.

The decision to temporarily cancel relatively short domestic air services, such as those from Moscow to St. Petersburg, follows earlier recommendations handed over by Russia’s ministry for transportation to the major scheduled airlines. This route generates big traffic, and by decreasing it the authority seeks to reduce the burden on the major city airports. “I believe the trains provide good alternative”, Levitin said. In its turn, the Russian Rail declared it has a train seating capacity for two thousand passengers at a time, which should make it possible to serve the passengers of delayed or cancelled flights in a timely manner.