Air Tanzania Temporarily Suspends Flights to Russia Following Zelensky Warning
5 sources across 5 countries
Who reported this
- CNN Brasil
- The Jerusalem Post
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
- Kyiv Independent
- Reuters
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Air Tanzania became the first airline to suspend flights between Dar es Salaam and Moscow after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russian airspace was becoming unsafe. The airline announced the temporary halt on September 4, citing a routine risk assessment of the operating environment. However, the carrier later announced that flights would resume on September 7 after the threat assessment was completed. The suspension followed an incident on September 3 when an Air Tanzania flight was diverted to St. Petersburg instead of Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport due to airspace restrictions caused by Ukrainian drone attacks. President Zelensky stated that while Ukraine would not target civilian aircraft, the increasing number of drones in the region posed a risk. Ukraine also formally requested that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) encourage a total ban on civilian flights in Russian airspace. Russian authorities rejected these claims, with President Vladimir Putin describing Zelensky's comments as state terrorism. Russia's aviation watchdog, Rosaviatsiya, stated it had received no withdrawal notifications from other foreign airlines and maintained that flight safety is ensured. While US and European carriers have avoided Russian airspace since 2022, airlines from China, Turkey, and Gulf states continue to operate there.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- This coverage emphasized the brevity of the suspension and highlighted previous operational delays and diversions of the airline.
- Centre
- One center report framed the event as a response to a Ukrainian threat to effectively close Russian skies through drone activity.
- Centre-right
- This framing highlighted the Russian government's denial that other foreign airlines intended to stop their flights.
Sources
- Centre CNN Brasil: Airline suspends flights to Russia after Zelensky alert
- Centre Kyiv Independent: First airline cancels flights to Moscow amid Ukrainian threat to 'close' Russia's skies
- Centre-left Novaya Gazeta Europe: Air Tanzania was the first to suspend flights to the RF after Zelensky's warning. In less than a day, it announced the resumption of flights
- Centre Reuters: Air Tanzania to resume flights to Russia on September 7 after temporary halt - Reuters
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: Air Tanzania becomes first airline to halt flights to Russia after Zelensky warning
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.