Statement by Valery Lukin, Director of the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE)

Currently some tour agencies display on their Web-sites information on the tours to Antarctica to be organized with the use of the airdrome and infrastructure of the Russian Antarctic station Novolazarevskaya.

The tour operators offer the Ilushin 76 flights to Antarctica from Cape Town, RSA along the route, used by the Russian aircraft in the framework of the international program DROMLAN which pools 11 National Antarctic Programs including the Russian.

In this connection I have to state that the RAE does not have now and never had before any contracts or agreed obligations with either Russian or foreign tour agencies on the organization of such tours and their support.

The RAE provides no services for tourists at Russian Antarctic stations and bases, including Novolazarevskaya station and hence the RAE bears no responsibility for the information published by the tour agencies.

St.Petersburg, AARI, 8 september 2005.