Air Tanzania has temporarily suspended flights between Dar es Salaam and Moscow, citing safety concerns after Ukraine warned that Russia’s airspace was becoming increasingly dangerous because of intensified Ukrainian drone attacks.
The Tanzanian airline announced the suspension on Sept. 4, saying the decision followed a routine assessment of safety conditions along the route. “Safety considerations always take precedence over commercial ones,” Air Tanzania said in a statement.
The move came shortly after an Air Tanzania flight was forced to divert from Moscow because of airspace restrictions around the Russian capital. Flight TC 422, traveling from Zanzibar to Moscow on Sept. 3, was redirected to St. Petersburg instead of landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport.
Air Tanzania had only launched direct flights between Tanzania and Moscow two months ago. The airline said passengers affected by the temporary suspension would be offered either full refunds or the option to rebook their journeys free of charge.
The carrier later announced that flights to and from Moscow were expected to resume on Monday next week. However, Vnukovo Airport’s online schedule still showed an Air Tanzania arrival and departure listed for Saturday.
