Turkmenistan Airlines продовжила скасування рейсів до Росії до березня.

This was reported by DW, as conveyed by Ukrinform.

The airline announced this decision on Friday, January 31, but did not provide reasons for it.

Turkmenistan Airlines suspended flights between Ashgabat and Moscow at the end of December. Initially, it was stated that there would be no flights from December 30, 2024, to January 31, 2025. The reasons for this were also not explained at that time.

Russian media indicate that in January, the Russian airline S7 received permission from Rosaviatsiya to operate flights from Moscow to Ashgabat, with a frequency of up to 14 flights per week. Flights became daily starting January 15. Currently, S7 is the only airline providing regular flights between Russia and Turkmenistan.

It is noted that "the last time Turkmenistan Airlines suspended flights to Moscow was in August 2023 due to the air situation in the Moscow airspace. This decision was made against the backdrop of reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense about drone attacks in the Moscow region.

As reported by Ukrinform, flights to Russia were also suspended by the Kazakh airline Qazaq Air, the Israeli airline El Al, and Azerbaijan Airlines.

In December, a passenger Embraer aircraft operating flight J2-8243 crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The Embraer was en route from the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, to Grozny in southern Chechnya, but deviated from its course by hundreds of kilometers over the Caspian Sea. It fell on the opposite side of the Caspian. Out of the 67 people on board, 38 lost their lives.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the aircraft sustained external damage on Russian territory near Grozny and practically lost control. According to him, the airliner was rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare means, after which Russian military forces opened fire on the aircraft, severely damaging the tail section.

Photo: Wolfgang Minich/picture alliance