Russia Rejects El Al's Request to Fly to Saint Petersburg in Retaliation Against Sanctions on Aeroflot
Israeli airline El Al sought to resume flights to Russia by proposing a route to Saint Petersburg instead of Moscow due to security concerns. Russia rejected the request, linking the decision to Israel's refusal to allow Aeroflot to operate in the country.
Russia has rejected a request from the Israeli airline El Al to resume flights to the country. After suspending flights to Moscow due to the security situation, El Al sought to resume operations by proposing a new route to Saint Petersburg. However, as N12 learned on Thursday, Russian authorities refused the move as a retaliatory measure against Israel.
Russia's decision stems from the fact that Israel does not authorize the Russian company Aeroflot to land in the country. The airline is currently subject to sanctions across Europe and the United States. Although Israel has not imposed formal trade sanctions against Russia, it has maintained a policy of not facilitating aviation ties with state-owned Russian carriers.
Officials at the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority have not ruled out the possibility of Aeroflot eventually operating in Israel. Professional sources suggest that the Russian refusal is driven by the argument that Israel is aligning itself with international sanctions against the carrier and Russia. It is important to note that another private Russian airline, Red Wings, continues to operate flights to Israel, indicating that the restriction is directed specifically at Aeroflot.
El Al suspended its flights to Moscow due to recent drone attacks, and there is currently no forecast for the resumption of that route.
Meanwhile, the Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsia stated earlier today that it had not received notifications from foreign airlines regarding the cessation of operations due to security concerns. This was reported by the Interfax news agency, citing the agency's head, Dmitry Yadrov. He noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry and the aviation agency would cooperate with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding civil flights to and from Russia, following warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that flying within Russia has become unsafe.
