AZAL suspends flights to three additional Russian cities [UPDATED]

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has announced the suspension of flights to three additional Russian cities—Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Vladikavkaz—starting tomorrow.

****13:15

"Taking into account the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft operating the Baku-Grozny flight J2-8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines, which was caused by physical and technical external interference, and the risks that may arise in flight safety, flights from Baku to the following airports in Russia are suspended from December 28, 2024, in accordance with the decision of the Azerbaijan State Civil Aviation Agency," Azernews reports.

The decision, made in consultation with the Azerbaijan State Civil Aviation Agency, is based on potential risks to flight safety until the completion of the final investigation.

The affected cities are:

• Mineralnye Vody
• Sochi
• Volgograd
• Ufa
• Samara
• Grozny
• Makhachkala

Previously, on December 25, AZAL had already suspended flights to Grozny and Makhachkala for safety reasons.

Passengers holding tickets for these suspended routes are entitled to a full refund or free ticket replacement. However, flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Astrakhan, Kazan, and Novosibirsk will continue, with AZAL ensuring all flight safety requirements and regulations are followed.