Armenia confirms no plans to restrict air travel to Russia amid AZAL crash investigation

Armenia has no plans to restrict air travel to Russia following the recent crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft, authorities have confirmed.

Sona Harutyunyan, the spokesperson for Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure,, clarified that there are currently no intentions to halt civil flights between Armenia and Russia, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

"No such thing is planned at the moment," Harutyunyan stated, responding to concerns raised after the tragic incident.

Armenian airlines have also confirmed that there are no changes to their flight operations, with all flights to and from Russia proceeding according to schedule.

The clarification comes in the wake of the tragic crash of an Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, which occurred on December 25 near the Kazakh city of Aktau. The plane, en route from Baku to Grozny, was carrying 67 passengers. Tragically, 38 people lost their lives, while 29 survived the crash.

Starting from December 28, Azerbaijan Airlines has canceled flights from Baku to 10 Russian cities: Grozny, Makhachkala, Vladikavkaz, Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, and Saratov. This decision was made by the State Civil Aviation Agency of Azerbaijan.

The suspension is based on the preliminary findings of the investigation into the Embraer 190 crash, which was attributed to "physical and technical external impact," as well as concerns over "potential risks to flight safety." AZAL has stated that flights will remain suspended until the investigation is completed.

Flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Astrakhan, Yekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk have not been canceled at this time.

Despite the tragedy, Armenian authorities have emphasized that the air communication between Armenia and Russia remains unaffected.

By Vafa Guliyeva