Three international airlines suspend flights to Russia

Azerbaijani, Kazakh, and Israeli carriers have temporarily halted some routes following the crash of a Russian-bound plane this week

Three international airlines have announced the temporary suspension of flights to Russia, citing potential flight safety risks following the crash of a Russian-bound passenger plane this week.

An Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer E190AR crashed on Wednesday morning near the city of Aktau on Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea coast, claiming the lives of at least 38 of 67 passengers. The plane was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan to Grozny, Chechnya when it was diverted and later crashed while attempting to land in Aktau. Citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan were on board.

AZAL announced on Friday that it will halt services to several Russian airports starting December 28, in addition to previous suspensions of flights, due to “potential risks to flight safety.” 

The decision was made in accordance with the Azerbaijan State Civil Aviation Authority and is based on the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash, the company wrote on Telegram. The suspension will remain in effect until the completion of the final investigation.

Israel’s flagship carrier, El Al, announced the cancelation of all flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow for this week, “citing developments in Russia’s airspace.” The company said in a statement that a “renewed assessment” of the situation will be carried out over the next week to decide whether the route will be resumed. The airline said it will keep passengers updated.

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Another international carrier, Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air, posted on Telegram that it will temporarily suspend flights on the Astana-Ekaterinburg route from December 28 to January 27, 2025 “to ensure the safety of passengers and crew members.” 

The airline will continue to operate flights to Omsk and Novosibirsk, which currently continue to meet its risk assessment criteria. Passengers of canceled flights will be provided with a full refund of the cost of air tickets and offered free rebooking on the airline’s alternative flights.

The flight suspensions will not significantly affect passenger traffic as a whole, Ilya Shatilin, the editor-in-chief of the FrequentFlyers.ru portal, told Vedomosti.

The official crash investigation is underway to study the circumstances of the incident, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviation, has announced. In a statement on Friday, the agency’s head, Dmitry Yadrov, said Russia is ready to cooperate with its Azerbaijani and Kazakh colleagues.