Russian air company, Yamal Airlines, intends to seek legal redress from Tajikistan.
“We are currently assessing losses caused by Tajik civil aviation authorities’ decision to suspend Yamal Airlines’ flights to Tajikistan. We will seek legal redress,” Yamal Airlines commercial director, Andrei Dubnov told TASS news agency in an interview.
Meanwhile, Tajik Minister of Transport, Sherali Ganjalzoda, says the Tajik civil aviation authorities are ready for trial, “because all actions of the Russian airline are illegal.”
Recall, the Tajik civil aviation authorities has not allowed Yamal Airlines’ flights to Tajikistan. Russia on December 21 threatened to close its airspace to Tajik airlines if Dushanbe would not agree to admit flights from Yamal Airlines.
Tajikistan has allowed Yamal Airlines to operate just one chartered flight from Zhukovsky airport to Dushanbe on December 22 to take out about 100 passengers who were stranded in Zhukovsky airport for two days.
Tajik authorities have questioned the legitimacy of the Yamal flights, but agreed to continue talks on the matter after Russia lifted its threat to stop all flights to Tajikistan.
Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport said that during the November negotiations, Tajikistan agreed only to flights for Ural Airlines and Tajik Air, and that there was no mention of Yamal Airlines.
Tajik authorities said allowing the Yamal flights would break the parity of Russia and Tajikistan in the number of airlines allowed flying between Moscow and Tajikistan.
“To operate regular flights to Tajikistan, Yamal Airlines needs to get official permit from Tajikistan’s civil aviation authorities. “Yamal Airlines will not be given the permit within the next two months,” a source at Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport told Asia-Plus on December 22.
A statement released by the Tajik civil aviation authorities on December 22, in particular, notes that “since the Tajik side has not yet appointed the second air carrier on this route and for the purpose of observing the parity of Tajikistan and Russia in the number of airlines flying between Tajikistan and Moscow, it appears impossible to give operating permit to Yamal Airlines for 2016-2017 winter season.”
In response to this, Moscow suspended flights of Tajik privately owned air carrier, Somon Air, to the Russian regions starting from 00:00 am on December 23. According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, it includes flights of the airline to all Russian cities, except Moscow and St. Petersburg.
