Russia has backed off a threat to suspend flights to Tajikistan over airport dispute after a day of talks between the two countries' civil aviation authorities in Moscow on November 7.
Following the talks, the two sides reportedly agreed to maintain and develop air traffic, and in particular reached an agreement on flights to Tajikistan from Zhukovsky International Airport near Moscow.
Sarvat Bakhti, a counselor at Tajikistan’s Embassy in Moscow, told TASS that a compromise was reached allowing Ural Airlines to operate flights from Zhukovsky International Airport to Dushanbe and Khujand twice a week.
In return, he said Moscow agreed to open additional destinations for Tajik air carriers in Ufa, Chelyabinsk, and Barnaul.
“Previously, those destinations were closed for Tajik air companies,” Bakhti told TASS.
Also Tajik airlines will be allowed to carry more flights from Khujand to St. Petersburg, he added.
The delegation of the Ministry of Transport (MoT) of Tajikistan arrived in Moscow four days after Russia warned that a dispute between Moscow and Dushanbe over the status of a new Russian international airport may lead to the suspension of all flights to Tajikistan.
Russia's Transport Ministry said on November 3 that it would suspend flights to Tajikistan from November 8 unless Tajik aviation authorities change their position on the Zhukovsky airport near Moscow.
Zhukovsky International Airport was officially opened in May 2016.
Dushanbe called for a revision of existing bilateral agreements on mutual air flights, saying that Zhukovsky is Moscow’s fourth international airport and that it has increased the number of flights from Moscow to Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, Russian civil aviation authorities insisted that Zhukovsky International Airport is not under Moscow’s authority but of the town of Ramenskoye.
EurasiaNet.org reports that it is currently possible to fly to Tajikistan from 15 cities in Russia. Meanwhile, four Tajik airport support flights to Russia: Dushanbe (to 13 Russian cities), Khujand (to 15 Russian cities), Qurghon Teppa and Kulob (only Moscow).
Air service between the two countries is operated by Tajik air companies Tajik Air and Somon Air, and Russian air carriers UTair, Ural Airlines, Rossiya and S7.
