Russian tour operator ‘Pegasus’ cancels trips to Greece due to visa issues

Problem concerns departures from three Russian airports

Russian tour operator ‘Pegasus’ cancelled its flights from three Russian airports due to visa problems. The company’s managing director, Anna Podgornaya, explained to local media that even though demand for Greek destinations is high, even ‘exceptional’, as she said, there were visa issues due to the Schengen area restrictions. ‘This forced us to adjust our schedule for this summer’, she said. The cancelled flights concern the airports of that were those of ‘Surgut’, ‘Orenburg’ and ‘Mineralnye Vody’. Tyumenzarubezhtur manager Natalia Karmanova explained that it was unprofitable for the company when a three member family had to wait several days to get a biometric visa to travel to Europe. Orenburg airport does not have a visa issuing service for Greece, and even if a traveler can use the mobile services for a biometric visa it would cost €110 more. According to Pegasus, tour operators have three choices. Either to cancel the package, which would result in a 100% refund to the clients; change the departure date; or select to book a new destination.