El Al suspends Moscow flights amid rising Russian tensions
El Al, the flagship carrier of Israel, has announced the suspension of all flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow. This decision is related to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft in Kazakhstan and reports suggesting a Russian air defense system shot it down.
El Al cited "changes in Russian airspace" as the reason for suspending flights. In a statement, the airline assured that it would "re-evaluate the situation" within the week, as reported by the Times of Israel portal.
During the next evaluation, El Al will decide "whether the route will be resumed" and will update passengers on any developments.
The Israeli carrier's decision follows preliminary assessments indicating that the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft, which crashed on Wednesday in Kazakhstan, was shot down by a Russian air defense system.
Increasing signs of Russia's involvement
Azerbaijani government officials contacted by a Euronews reporter support this claim. A U.S. official quoted by the Financial Times also shares this view. He stated that "there are early indications" suggesting the Azerbaijani passenger plane that crashed on Wednesday "may have been hit by a Russian anti-aircraft system." He noted that this would underscore "Moscow's reckless actions."
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was flying from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Chechnya, southern Russia, when it veered off course and crashed in Kazakhstan. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities, with 29 survivors. The majority of passengers on the Embraer 190 were Azerbaijani citizens. There were also 16 Russians and several citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on board.
