TEL AVIV: Israeli flag carrier El Al has suspended all flights to Moscow until the end of March 2025 due to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight bound for Russia's Grozny, an El Al spokesperson told RIA Novosti on Monday.
"After a comprehensive assessment of the situation, El Al airline is informing about the suspension of flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow until the end of the winter season (the end of March). The decision was taken after continuous consultations with the country’s [Israeli] authorities to get the full picture of the situation," the spokesperson said.
Passengers will be notified about the changes in the near future, the spokesperson added.
The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 plane flying from Baku to Russia’s Grozny crashed on the morning of December 25 near the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan. The airline said 62 passengers and five crew members were on board. Kazakhstan's emergencies ministry said 29 people survived the crash.
On Friday, the head of Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsiya), Dmitry Yadrov, said that the situation in Russia's airspace had been difficult on the day of the crash, as Ukrainian combat drones were launching attacks on civilian infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz. Airspace restrictions were in place around Grozny's international airport. In addition, there was dense fog over Grozny, with no visibility at an altitude of 1,640 feet. The stricken plane was offered to land at another airport but proceeded to Aktau, Yadrov said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that the plane was not intentionally shot down in Russian airspace, adding that the truth behind the crash would be known once the black boxes were opened. At the same time, Aliyev said that the fuselage of the plane had holes in it, which completely removed from the agenda the version of the collision with a flock of birds. The Azerbaijani leader also said that Russia should punish those responsible for the crash and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani government, the victims and the crew of the plane.