Russia's Azimuth Airline pulls out of Azerbaijan routes after AZAL plane crash

Russian airline Azimuth has announced the cancellation of flights to Azerbaijan from Mineralnye Vody and Sochi airports.

According to the airline's press service, the cancellations affect flights from Mineralnye Vody to Baku and Ganja, as well as from Sochi to Baku, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The airline attributed the decision to the withdrawal of slots by Baku and Ganja airports, following the revocation of flight permissions by Azerbaijan's aviation authorities.

This move comes after several foreign airlines suspended flights to Russia, coinciding with the ongoing investigation into the December 25 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer E-190 aircraft near Kazakhstan's Aktau. AZAL itself halted flights from Baku to 10 Russian cities in response to the incident.

Additionally, Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air, Israel's El Al, and the UAE's Flydubai also cancelled flights to and from Russia.

Azimuth, based at Platov Airport in Rostov-on-Don, also operates from Krasnodar and Mineralnye Vody airports. The airline's fleet consists of 20 Superjet 100 aircraft.

By Tamilla Hasanova