Air traffic between Russia and Tajikistan will not be suspended after November 8, 2016.

“On November 7, 2016, aviation authorities of Russia and Tajikistan conducted negotiations at the  Russia’s Ministry of Transport in Moscow. As a result, a decision was made to preserve and develop air services between the two countries”, the Ministry informed the Interfax News Agency, Russia.

Parties were able to agree on Russian airlines’ flights to Tajikistan from the new airport Zhukovsky near Moscow, the Ministry of Transport noted.

Earlier, the Russian Ministry said that Russia may unilaterally suspend air communication with Tajikistan on November 8^th. This was caused by the refusal of Tajik authorities to agree on the appointment of Russian air carriers to fly into the country from Zhukovsky. Tajik authorities have stated that Zhukovsky is the Moscow Aviation Hub, as well as Sheremetievo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, which means that international flights from such airports should be limited to inter-governmental agreements, which provide for parity conditions of flight operations (equal number of frequencies / airlines for each participating country).

However, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation insisted that, according to the order of the Russian Government, Zhukovsky was defined as a regional airport, and the Tajikistan’s attempt to independently identify the airport’s status was considered by the Ministry, as a “violation of the sovereignty of the Russian authorities in its own territories”.

Zhukovsky airport, which is developed by  the ‘Rostec’ joint venture structure (25%) and the Avia Solutions Group holding company, Lithuania (75% minus 1 share), started its activities in May 2016 and took its first flight in September. Currently, the Russia’s Federal Air Transport Association has already issued its permits for international flights from this airport to several Russian airlines. In this regard, Ural Airlines, Russia, has permission to fly to Dushanbe and Khujand, Tajikistan.

At present, Somon Air and Tajik Air, Tajikistan, as well as UTair, S7 Airlines, Ural Airlines and VIM-Avia operate their flights from Moscow’s airports to several cities in Tajikistan.