The low-cost, Emirati-government-owned airline announced yesterday that it has suspended flights from Dubai to the southern Russian airports of Sochi and Mineralnye Vody. The announcement follows this week’s Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan which killed 38 people.
Flights Suspended due to ‘Technical Reasons’
Flydubai has cited technical reasons as the cause of the cancellations, with flights to Sochi and Mineralnye Vody suspended until January 2nd and January 3rd respectively.
The cancellations are set to affect over 2,000 passengers, 90% of whom are reported to be clients of tour operators. Sochi is Russia’s largest resort city while Mineralnye Vody is famous for its spas and natural beauty, making them both popular tourist destinations.
Flydubai has advised passengers impacted by the development to contact the airline’s contact centre or relevant travel agents for rebooking and refund enquiries. Tour operators are also said to be working to minimise any disruption.
Latest International Carrier to Suspend Flights to Russia
The airline is the latest international carrier to suspend flights to cities in Russia. Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air has suspended flights between the country’s capital Astana and Yekaterinburg in Russia until January 27 while Israel’s El Al has cancelled all flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow for the week. Azerbaijan Airlines has also announced that as of 28 December, it will suspend flights to 10 Russian cities: Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, Makhachkala, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Vladikavkaz.
The cause of Wednesday’s plane crash in Kazakhstan has not yet been officially confirmed, however, four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan’s investigation into the disaster told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defences had shot the plane down in error.
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