Interfax: the owner of VIM-Avia left Russia

According to unconfirmed reports, the owner of VIM-Avia, Rashid Mursekaev, left Russia. This was reported by the Interfax news agency , citing an unnamed source. Presumably Mursekaev flew from Moscow to Istanbul.

Two Interfax sources reported that law enforcement agencies could not contact the owner of VIM-Avia. “His phones are off,” one source said.

The head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Alexander Neradko, said that Mursekaev was invited to a meeting about the crisis at VIM-Avia on the morning of September 27. The owner of the company didn't show up for the meeting. Neradko suggested that Mursekaev left the country.

• VIM-Avia ranks 10th in Russia in terms of the number of passengers carried. Since the summer of 2017, she began to delay and cancel flights en masse. On September 25, the company announced the cancellation of charters. The reason for this decision was the debt to airports and fuel suppliers.
• According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, about 40,000 VIM-Avia passengers are abroad. Other airlines were involved in their transportation.
• The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case on the fact of embezzling money from VIM-Avia passengers. According to the UK, the company's executives sold tickets, knowing that they did not have money to pay for fuel and aircraft maintenance. On September 27, it was announced that the case had been transferred to the central office of the Investigative Committee.