Ural Airlines planning to start flights from Moscow Zhukovsky to Baku no earlier than March

YEKATERINBURG. Feb 19 (Interfax) - Ural Airlines , having previously postponed the start of flights on the Moscow Zhukovsky - Baku route until February 17 due to lack of permission from the Azerbaijani aviation authorities, has extended the postponement through the end of the month.

"[The permission situation] is still unchanged, so flights have been canceled until the end of February," the airline's press service told Interfax.

Earlier it was reported that the first flight on this route, previously scheduled for February 8, did not take place, since the Azerbaijani aviation authorities had not issued permission. The airline stated that this occurred despite the fact that Ural Airlines has Baku as a designated destination, as well as all the technical capabilities to operate and support the flight.

The Azerbaijani aviation authorities have not specified a reason for this decision. Ural Airlines is convinced there are no reasons for the refusal, since it is a designated carrier with all rights and has no restrictions on transportation.

Ural Airlines does not fly from its Moscow home base at Moscow - Domodedovo to the Azerbaijani capital. Meanwhile, the company continues to operate flights to Baku from Yekaterinburg; flights began in mid-January.

The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) stated that Russian aviation authorities and those in Azerbaijan are in contact to resolve the situation. "Ural Airlines is a designated carrier on this line, the intergovernmental agreement on air services between the two states is in force, and there are no restrictions on the number of flights on the Zhukovsky-Baku-Zhukovsky line," Rosaviatsiya said.

In past years, disagreements between Russia's aviation authorities and foreign countries have arisen over the status of Zhukovsky. Despite its close proximity to Moscow, Russia classifies it as a regional airport, which gives it the right to an unlimited number of carriers and flights on international routes (unlike Moscow hub airports Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, where restrictions apply). Air transport authorities in Georgia, Tajikistan, Israel and Italy have had issues with this at various times, insisting on parity conditions for operating flights through Zhukovsky. Several times, disputes have reached the point of partial restrictions on air traffic between countries.