‘Flight performed by Carat Airline was not delayed due to money issues,’ says Chelyabinsk Airport spokesperson Denis Luzin.

‘Chelyabinsk-Eravan flight was delayed due to a technical failure last Wednesday. The flight was not canceled; it was only put off from 10 AM to 4 PM. Carat’s second aircraft (passenger-free) appears to have faulty undercarriage, so the technicians prohibit its use. The third aircraft hasn’t even been examined yet. This is an incident not exclusive to Carat Airlines, and it could happen to any carrier. The checkup and repair is going to take some time, and the company has been settling down the financial issues with the airport according to the general regulations.’

Carat Airlines (whose headquarters are located in Kazan) performs regular flights from Balandino Airport of Chelyabinsk. Some media sources have earlier reported that the delay of three aircrafts on February 15 had been caused by the fact that Carat owes some money to Chelyabinsk Airport. The latter denies any such connection and claims that the flights were put off due to a technical failure.