The Yamal Airlines, Russia, will start operating its regular flights from the new airport in Zhukovsky, Russia, to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistanin December 2016, Vasily Kruik, CEO, Yamal Airlines, told the TASS News Agency,Russia.
“We are expanding our air route network and develop our new destinations. In December 2016, our planes will take off from the new airfield in Zhukovsky nearMoscow. We are rather conservative company that develops gradually. We will begin flights from Zhukovsky to neighboring countries, namely to Uzbekistan,Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Further, we will launch one to Israeland only at the final stage, our target will be Europe”, Mr. Kruik said.
According to the CEO, the last stage of negotiation takes place nowadays. “As regards our flights to the CIS, there is a difficult situation. Tajikistan, for example, does not refuse from new destinations, but this country acted as an eastern country: they tried to redistribute a part of flights to a certain company under administrative pressure. There was such a hidden form of extortion, so the FATA (Federal Air Transport Association) had to intervene. Due to the FATA’s solid position, Yamal Airlines will operate its first flights from Zhukovsky to Dushanbein December”, he added.
Earlier, Tajik authorities refused to take the flights of Russian air companies from the Zhukovsky airport, as they referred it to the Moscow aviation hub airport, while, according to the Russian Federation’s legislation, the airport in Zhukovsky has been added to the Ramensky air hub (Moscow Region). Several days later, Russia and Tajikistanagreed to continue developing air traffic between the two countries in full.
In August 2016, the Airline received permission from the Federal Air Transport Agency to carry out international flights from the airport in Zhukovsky to such destinations, as Vienna, Budapest, Munich, Plovdiv, Prague and Tbilisi, as well as to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek and Osh) and Tajikistan (Dushanbe and Khujand).
The Yamal Airlines, 98.2% of which belongs to the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, carries passengers to more than 60 destinations in Russia and 14 ones in the CIS and other foreign countries. The air fleet consists of Airbus A-320 and A-321, CRJ-200, Boeing-737, L-410, CL-600 and Sukhoi SuperJet-100.
