Several airlines cancel flights to Russia after Azerbaijan Airlines crash

Several airlines have announced the suspension of flights to Russian cities following the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, which claimed the lives of 38 of the 67 people on board.

Among the latest to take action is Turkmenistan Airlines, which announced on Saturday that "regular flights between Ashgabat and Moscow" would be canceled from December 30, 2024, to January 31, 2025. The airline did not provide any explanation for the suspension.

Other airlines have also followed suit. flydubai, the UAE-based carrier, suspended flights between Dubai and the Russian cities of Mineralnye Vody and Sochi for the period between December 27 and January 3. Similarly, Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air has temporarily halted flights to Yekaterinburg in Russia's Urals region until the end of January.

Earlier in the week, Israeli airline El Al announced the suspension of its flights to Moscow for a week, further adding to the ripple effect in the aviation industry.

The tragic crash involved an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, which went down near Aktau, a western Kazakh city on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The plane was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, to Grozny in Russia when the disaster occurred.

In a statement on Friday, Azerbaijan's transport minister cited preliminary investigation results suggesting that the crash resulted from physical “external interference.” Further reports from Azerbaijani officials indicate the belief that the plane might have been struck mid-air.

This incident has prompted heightened safety concerns and operational precautions, as airlines across the region reassess their flight routes and schedules to Russian cities.