Stranded Chinese tourists begin journey home

Passengers gather at a VIM-AVIA ticket desk at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, on Sept 26, 2017. Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded on Tuesday as the Russian private airline said it could no longer operate without state help and tour operators urged the government to avert an industry-wide crisis. [Photo/VCG]

Chinese tourists who have been stuck at Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow since Saturday after a local airline went bankrupt are finally returning home, according to the Chinese embassy in Russia.

Jiang Wei, counselor in the consular office of the embassy, said the Russian Foreign Ministry and tourism authority were contacted when the incident happened, and the Russian government arranged to send the Chinese tourists back home as soon as possible.

About 290 Chinese tourists have been flown home so far, the embassy said.

Tens of thousands of passengers who planned flights with VIM-AVIA were stranded during the weekend after the carrier, Russia's 10th largest, on Tuesday announced it was filing for bankruptcy.

The private company has canceled dozens of flights over the last few days, including all of its charter flights.

Overall, about 200,000 passengers were expected to be affected, and 43,000 passengers are believed to be stranded, including 500 Chinese tourists in Russia and more than 300 in Belgium.