From March 6 on, Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL), along with another local carrier Buta Airways, suspended all flights from Azerbaijan to Russia.
The decision follows “recent developments in the international aviation insurance and reinsurance market connected to the sanctions”, statement on AZAL’s website read, referring to sanctions on Russia in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine.
“Safety of flights is one of the cornerstones of AZAL’s policy. Lack of full-fledged insurance for performance of international flights poses unnecessary risks for the citizens of our countries, airlines and other legal entities.”
The statement also informs that flights from Russia to Azerbaijan too have been terminated on the recommendation of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency from March 6 on for an indefinite period.
The cancellation of flights between the countries comes after reports of skyrocketing ticket prices due to possible massive emigration of Russians to Baku amidst sanctions and economic crisis in Russia.
With termination of flights, civilian travel between Azerbaijan and Russia become totally restricted as the land border between the two countries have been closed since the start of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
