'Rosaviation had every reason to impose sanctions on air carriers whose charter flights are delayed on regular basis. There is simply no other way to make these airlines take their contractual obligations seriously,’ Director of Inna Tour Travel Agency Inna Averyanova said to UrBC.

Rosaviation’s sanctions touched upon the carriers whose charter flights kept getting delayed en masse during the summer period; the number of flights these companies were allowed to operate in the winter season was cut by 20%. VIM Avia, it turns out, was one of the unfortunate airlines.

Ms Averyanova feels it’s high time the authorities did something about the irresponsible airlines, because it is usually a travel agent, the natural intermediary between an air carrier and a traveler, who has to face the customers’ claims and complaints.

'We spend enormous amount of time and put a lot of effort in organizing our customers’ vacations, and carriers such as VIM Avia and the like undermine all our activity,’ she says.

At the same time, Ms Averyanova reports the demand for charter flights in the winter holiday season has gone up despite the sanctions.

'The number of flights to all kinds of destinations tripled compared to last winter recess,’ she notes.