ajik civil aviation authorities propose Russia’s Yamal Airlines to operate flights out of ZhukovskyAirport to the Tajik southern city of Kulyab instead of Dushanbe.

Tajik authorities have sent an appropriate letter to the Russiaair company, an official source at the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan toldAsia-Plus in an interview.

“The Russian side is currently considering our proposal and the issue is expected to be finally solved within the next few days,” the source noted.  

Recall, Yamal Airlines has canceled flights to Kyrgyzstan from Zhukovsky airport.

Citing the commercial manager of the company Andrei Dubrov,Russia’s TASS news agency has reported that Yamal Airlines canceled flights to the Kyrgyz Republicfrom ZhukovskyAirportuntil it gets permission to operate flights to Tajikistan.

“There is no sense in keeping a plane at Zhukovsky airport because of Kyrgyzstanalone.  As soon as we get permission for Tajikistan, we will return the airport schedule in all directions,” Andrei Dubrov was cited as saying by TASS.

Dushanbe in December banned Yamal Airlines flights to Tajikistanout of ZhukovskyAirportand Moscowsuspended flights of Tajik private air carrier, Somon Air, to the Russian regions.  The ban included flights of the airline to all Russian cities, except Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Tajik and Russian authorities reached an agreement aimed at resolving a dispute that has prevented some civilian flights between their countries at a meeting of the Tajik-Russian commission for economic cooperation that too place in Dushanbe on January 27, 2017.  Somon Air was allowed to resume its flights to four Russian cities -- Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar,Ufa, and Orenburg-- beginning on February 3.

Meanwhile,Russia's Yamal Airlines will resume its flights to Tajikistanduring the summer from Zhukovsky International Airportin the Moscowregion.

The history of this dispute dates back to early November.  The two countries faced the threat of suspension of flights in early November because of a dispute between Moscow and Dushanbeover the status of Russia’s Zhukovsky International Airport, which was officially opened in May 2016.

Dushanbe called for a revision of existing bilateral agreements on mutual air flights, saying that Zhukovsky is Moscow’s fourth international airport and that it has increased the number of flights from Moscow to Tajikistan.

The Russian civil aviation authorities insisted that Zhukovsky International Airportis not under Moscow’s authority but of the town of Ramenskoye.

Tajikistan that time agreed only to flights for Ural Airlines and Tajik Air from ZhukovskyAirport.