In the night of Monday in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport landed flight to the export record. The crew spent in the air more than 100 hours to bring the Russians and citizens of Ukraine and Kazakhstan from nine African countries and Jordan. For the technical preparation of the voyage took several weeks, but others were waiting much longer — since the end of March, when Russia closed its borders because of the pandemic coronavirus.The plane of airline Royal Flight brought home the Russians, and also citizens of Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The operation for their removal, unofficially called “African ring”, was unique. From Moscow to the airport of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania arrived Russian plane that made then within 24 hours six takeoffs and six landings — in Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda (where also joined by passengers from Rwanda), Kenya and again in Tanzania. After spending the night in Dar-es-Salaam on a flight, passengers are hooked from Ethiopia, Mozambique and Tanzania. The aircraft was then flown to Jordan, where he also took up passengers, and then headed for Moscow. At Sheremetyevo airport, the plane landed in the night on Monday. Just returned home 205 people and two dogs. Given the range of the route, the flight was carried out by three of the crew — only 40 people.For passengers the flight was completely free. As explained by the official representative of Russian foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, the philanthropists were found in the Russian Union of Industrialists and entrepreneurs. They paid for the overnight stay in Tanzania for passengers and crews.The training flight was a few weeks, but people were waiting for it almost since the closure of the Russian borders in late March. With many Russians, the staff of the foreign Ministry were in correspondence for several months, supporting them in the difficult situation and promising to take it home at the first opportunity.On the complexity of the outgoing flights to Africa, the foreign Ministry said repeatedly. The Russians were scattered across the continent in small groups. Someone was traveling, someone was away, someone was working on a contract. To fly behind a small group of expensive. For example: the most numerous groups of passengers, who returned home from Africa, was taken from Kenya and Uganda (38 and 35 respectively). From Ethiopia I flew two, and from Mozambique — five people. But as emphasized by diplomats, in this case, the number doesn’t matter. From the beginning of April, after the closure of the Russian authorities started implementation of a special mechanism for the export of tourists at the same time make program payment of financial assistance to those who could not get home. According to Maria Zakharova, the Russian authorities used foreign experience, looking at how to carry out the evacuation of U.S. citizens, “Germany and many other countries in which we learn something, somewhere something podswas atriale where something was copied, but the result is our own scheme.” Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersanta Zakharova said that the Russian model is distinguished by the continuity of the flight (almost every day in Russia a few export flight arrives) and a rare solidarity almost all authorities — legislative and Executive, Central and regional, as well as representatives of the public and businesses who have connected to the solution of problems of citizens stranded abroad. Participated in this work and diplomats and volunteers from other countries who helped the Russians. In turn, the Russian flights have been able to return home the citizens of the former Soviet republics.Were talking about a flight from one country in one Russian region. Gradually the geography of flights is expanding. Engaged in the work of the Russian regions have started to coordinate with each other. Further, to the extent possible, the Russian airline also began to try to pick up passengers from several countries at a time. Still one of the most difficult connecting flights was to collect passengers from five African countries with a stopover in Tyumen and Moscow. The aircraft returned home on July 16. However the record lasted just three days before the project “African ring”.To organize flights should not just collect lists of passengers and search the plane. Logistics is one of the most complex problems. In many countries, airports are still not working and only opened under export routes, you need to consider the epidemiological situation in the country, the requirements of the authorities for compliance with quarantine requirements. For example, the Entebbe airport (Uganda) does not accept the aircraft in the daytime. Under the rules of the air harbour is closed from 9 to 17 hours. And it seriously affected the alignment of the route. In Uganda, among the 35 passengers who have risen aboard, was the Russians who were in Rwanda. He recently suffered a stroke and decided to take the opportunity to return home. He got on the flight, officials of the Embassy of the Russian Federation carried it to a neighbouring country 19 hours by car. From Kenya the Russians tried to take back in June, but to collect all in one place failed. There’s only 6 July, was weakened quarantine measures and opened the administrative boundary between the districts of the country. Because of this, everyone could reach the capital. However, the last time was that four people decided not to fly. Such cases are also not rare and is a problem in the organization of the flight. People are knocking to all authorities asking them to take out, and when the actual check it may be fewer passengers than planned. So many times it was with Jordan. Nevertheless, the work continues.Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Whom��eranthis the beginning of April due to the elaborated algorithm for the evacuation of tourists to Russia came back about 60 thousand people. Of these, nearly 50 thousand was taken directly by Russian airlines. The work of the mechanism for assisting the evacuation of tourists will continue until the opening of the borders and the full restoration of air service.”We have a huge number of Russian citizens who are abroad, hundreds of thousands of people. They live there, work, learn, they have a joint family. And every day these people something happens — good and bad: children are born, unfortunately, leave relatives who are sick,” said Maria Zakharova.From the end of may—beginning of June, when the international logistics has started to revive in Moscow trying to combine flights of foreign airlines on Russian export routes. According to Maria Zakharova, a Russian nationals were able to get to European airports, where he flew to Russia. She cited the example of tourists from Australia and New Zealand, where there was no direct export flights. According to “Kommersant”, the transit of these two countries were able to travel hundreds of people, including swapping your old tickets.However, not everyone has that opportunity. So, Eugene Starovoit, stuck in Australia, told “Kommersant” that she could not change the ticket to get to Europe, and money to buy new. According to her, the other tourists financial problems arose after 30 June was discontinued financial assistance provided to tourists by the decree No. 433 of the government of the Russian Federation (PPRF). Moreover, not all of them received assistance. About the problems with telling and tourists in other countries. On the portal Change.org there was a petition request to the government about the renewal of this resolution.As noted by Maria Zakharova, the question of extending aid is not in the competence of the Ministry of foreign Affairs. However, she noted that for many Russians, it was a surprise that the program was designed to ensure that people were able to hold on to the first opportunity to return home — either a direct flight or a transfer, and not the fact that they were able to continue to rest abroad. According to her, if the person decides not to fly when the opportunity is there, then it calculates the power that remains. However, she acknowledged that there are different cases.Marianna Belenkaya
