Azerbaijan Denies Permission for Russian Airplane Flight: What's Happening?

The Ural Airlines carrier has been unable to commence flights from Zhukovsky Airport near Moscow to Baku due to a lack of permission from Azerbaijan. This was reported by the airline's press service to RBC.

"The flight did not take off because the Azerbaijani aviation authorities did not grant permission, despite Ural Airlines having the route available, as well as all technical capabilities to operate the flight. The Azerbaijani aviation authorities did not specify the reason for this decision. There are no grounds for the refusal, as Ural Airlines is a designated carrier with all the rights and without restrictions for the transportation," the statement noted. The airline currently operates flights to Baku from Yekaterinburg.

The first flight to Baku was scheduled to take place the day before, on February 8. According to the Baza Telegram channel, since the plane did not take off from Moscow, passengers have been unable to return from Baku to the Russian capital for more than a day. The return flight has been postponed indefinitely without explanation, and the airline has not clarified the situation, the source reported. The hotline has advised passengers to return their tickets.