Aircraft lease glitch leaves Russians stranded in Phuket

Two flights from Nordwind airlines were grounded at 2 am on Sunday (December 14) over non-payment of aircraft leases, leaving Russian passengers stranded at Phuket International Airport for a day.

Flight number 2474 and 2490, which were scheduled to depart for Moscow, were cancelled after the two aircraft were impounded on the tarmac, accruing new airport fees while the airline cleared the financial problems.

Norwind was able to arrange two aircraft to come from Krabi 21 hours later and the stranded passengers were able to go home.

Nordwind, which is based in Moscow, was founded in 2008 by the Russian and Turkish branches of tour operator Pegas. It has a fleet of 54 aircraft, many of them leased, with which it operates both scheduled and charter flights.

The airline’s website lists Thailand as its top destination.

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