Tour operators and air carriers expect Enfidha Airport in Tunisia to reopen after September 27. All flights are currently being rerouted to the Monastir hub, Interfax-Tourism reports, citing Maya Lomidze, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).
"Tour operators and air carriers expect flights to Enfidha Airport in Tunisia to return to their normal schedule starting after September 27. Currently, all flights from Enfidha have been relocated to Monastir Airport," she said.
Last week's heavy rains disrupted operations at Enfidha-Hammamet Airport. A large section of the airport building's roof collapsed due to flooding. The building's management company was forced to shut off power to the building for safety reasons. Repairs are currently underway.
According to M. Lomidze, due to the airport's suspension, airlines and tour operators were forced to reschedule arrivals and departures to Monastir Airport.
"Five flights were diverted to Monastir on September 22-23, including from Moscow, Samara, Omsk, and Ufa. According to Azur Air, three flights were diverted on September 24—from Monastir to Yekaterinburg and Moscow, and from Moscow to Monastir. The airline will announce the flight rescheduling schedule for September 25 and 26 later," she said.
M. Lomidze added that tour operator ANEX Tour is operating all of its current flights to Tunisia as scheduled at Monastir Airport. Only two flights from Tunisia to Moscow and Yekaterinburg will arrive on the night of September 25.
"The weather in Enfidha has now returned to normal, with sunny skies and temperatures reaching 27 degrees Celsius. The popular resorts of Sousse, Mahdia, and Monastir have not been damaged. Hotels are operating, and there are no service interruptions or disruptions to essential services. Flooding and damage have only been reported in the resort of Naubel," noted M. Lomidze.
Earlier, it was reported that more than 400 Russian tourists stranded at Tunis Airport had returned home. The Boeing 777-300 was scheduled to depart Monastir Airport at 9:10 PM on Saturday and arrive in Moscow at 1:20 AM on Sunday. The flight was ultimately delayed by 22 hours. The Azur Air press service told Interfax-Tourism that the tourists were given hotel accommodations.
Source: trn-news.ru