MOSCOW, November 26 (RAPSI) – The Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region and the Novosibirsk Region Commercial Court registered separate lawsuits by two Russian airports against indebted Transaero airline demanding in sum 3.5 billion rubles ($54.4 mln), RIA Novosti reported on Thursday.

Lawsuit by the Gorno-Altaisk airport demanding over a billion rubles ($16.5 mln) reached the court in St. Petersburg on November 25. Similar lawsuit by Tolmachevo airport demanding 2.4 billion rubles ($37.9 mln) reached the court in Novosibirsk on November 26. Both lawsuits are yet to be reviewed.

Transaero found itself unable to pay its debts estimating 250 billion rubles ($4 bln). Government-approved plan of transferring 75% of company’s shares to Aeroflot failed. Its problems resulted in a large number of flight cancels and delays.

Several companies such filed lawsuits against Transaero demanding payment of debts. Thus, foreign companies related to VTB Leasing demand more than 145 million dollars, companies related to Rosneft demand more than 4 billion rubles ($61.5 mln), the State Corporation for Air Traffic demands more than 700 million rubles ($10.7 mln). Several lawsuits were filed by the companies related to the airports.

In October Sberbank and Alfa Bank filed bankruptcy petitions against the troubled airline.