MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) has given local budget airline Red Wings permission to resume flight operations, which were suspended soon after a fatal incident at a Moscow airport last December, the agency said on Tuesday.
“A series of measures carried out by Red Wings has allowed the airline to submit proof to Rosaviatsia of its readiness to continue operations,” Rosaviatsia said in a statement. “In view of this, the agency has approved a request by Red Wings to resume commercial activity and decided to allow the airline to carry out commercial passenger and cargo flights from June 17.”
Red Wings, formerly owned by billionaire former KGB officer Alexander Lebedev, suffered a fatal accident December 29 when one of its eight Tupolev Tu-204 airliners skidded off the runway at Moscow's Vnukovo airport, killing five of the eight crew on board.
Red Wings flights were suspended in February after the aviation watchdog uncovered safety violations by the airline. After Red Wings was suspended, Lebedev sold the troubled airline for a symbolic 1 ruble (3 US cents).
