The first foreign airline stopped flights to Russia after Zelenskyy's warning about danger in the sky
Air Tanzania has suspended flights between Dar es Salaam and Moscow, citing a risk assessment and passenger safety. This is the first foreign airline to cancel flights to Russia after Volodymyr Zelenskyy's warning about the danger of Russian airspace.
Flights TC422 and TC423 have been suspended indefinitely since September 4, Air Tanzania reported. The company explained that it made the decision after a planned risk assessment of the route.
“Air Tanzania constantly conducts such assessments across its entire route network, and if the result indicates a pause is warranted, we implement it. Safety considerations always take precedence over commercial ones," the carrier's statement said.
Passengers were offered a full refund or a free rescheduling of their flight to another date or to choose another route.
It is unknown when the flights will resume.
Direct flights between Tanzania and Russia were launched only in July 2026 — after a break that began during the coronavirus pandemic. Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft were supposed to fly three times a week on the Dar es Salaam — Moscow — Zanzibar route.
Rosaviatsia called Air Tanzania's arrival "a very good step in the development of aviation accessibility across the entire African continent." In the future, Russian officials considered the possibility of extending the route to the Seychelles.
Tanzania is popular among Russians due to its safari parks and Zanzibar resorts. Air Tanzania was the only carrier operating direct flights between the countries, writes "Baza".
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned foreign airlines and insurers that flights to Russia, especially to Moscow and St. Petersburg, are becoming increasingly risky due to the expansion of Ukrainian drone attacks. According to him, "Russian skies will de facto be closing." He emphasized that Ukraine does not intend to attack civilian aircraft.
On September 2, Turkish Pegasus canceled more than ten flights to Russia but explained this with "technical operational reasons" and did not continue the cancellations afterward. Even before Zelenskyy's statement, Israeli El Al stopped flights to Moscow due to security concerns.
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