Turkmenistan Airlines Extends Moscow Flight Suspension Until March

Turkmenistan Airlines announced on January 31 that it has extended the suspension of its Ashgabat-Moscow-Ashgabat flights until at least March. The airline did not provide an official reason for this extension.

Flights on this route were initially halted at the end of December 2024, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media. At the time, the airline announced that there would be no flights between December 30, 2024, and January 31, 2025, but did not explain their decision.

The Russian News Agency TASS has noted that Turkmenistan Airlines previously halted flights to Moscow in August 2023 due to safety concerns. That suspension followed a report from the Russian Defense Ministry stating that a Ukrainian drone had been intercepted in the Moscow region.

Interfax, meanwhile, reports that Russia’s S7 Airlines has received approval to operate up to 14 weekly flights between Moscow and Ashgabat. Daily flights began on January 15, making S7 the only airline currently serving this route.

Uzbekistan Airways has adjusted its flight routes to Europe, avoiding Russian and Belarusian airspace. The airline’s press service stated that this decision was based on recommendations from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and was not connected to the recent Azerbaijan Airlines crash.