A number of AZAL flights to Russia were suspended for safety reasons, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
"I gave this instruction, and the main reason for this, of course, is the issue of safety," Ilham Aliyev said.
He recalled that airspace in many Russian cities is occasionally closed, and a special operating regime is applied there - a “Kovyor operation. According to the Azerbaijani leader, one other thing must also be clarified: when was that “Kovyor operation” announced.
"Because according to the information on our hands, that “Kovyor operation” was announced only after our plane had been exposed to external influence. If this is the case, it once again shows that local services did this to cover up the issue," Ilham Aliyev said.
The head of state added that AZAL has indefinitely suspended its flights to 7 Russian cities. At the same time, Azerbaijan also suspended flights of Russian airlines from 3 Russian cities to Azerbaijan. According to him, Azerbaijan's air connection with a total of 10 Russian cities has now been suspended, security issues are at the forefront here.
"Whatever we do, we do it openly. Let me repeat, this decision has been made. When will these flights be resumed, especially to the city of Grozny? Most likely, they will not. Life will tell, and the security of Russian airspace will certainly be taken into account," Ilham Aliyev said.
