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Akbar Novruz

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Air Tanzania has officially suspended flights between Moscow and Dar es Salaam as of September 4, citing safety concerns, according to reports.

The suspension comes less than two months after the airline resumed direct flights between Tanzania and Russia in July.

Air Tanzania is the latest foreign carrier to suspend or alter operations involving Russia amid heightened security concerns. Earlier, Israeli airline El Al suspended its flights to Moscow, while Air India rerouted flights between the United States and India to avoid Russian airspace.

Turkish Airlines has also canceled several flights to Russia.

The latest decisions follow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's warning regarding potential threats to civil aviation operating in or around Russian airspace.

Ukraine has called on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to completely prohibit civilian aircraft from flying over Russian territory, arguing that the growing intensity of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has created heightened risks for commercial aviation.

According to Ukraine’s Zerkalo Nedeli, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Mykola Kalashnyk made the appeal in a letter to ICAO, warning that the continued presence of civilian aircraft in Russian airspace could expose passengers and crews to significant dangers amid the escalation of aerial attacks.

“Ukraine, exercising its inherent right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, is compelled to respond appropriately to Russia’s terrorist air attacks,” Kalashnyk said in the letter.

“Against the backdrop of the escalation provoked by the Russian Federation, we understand that the presence of civilian aircraft in the airspace of the Russian Federation may entail particularly high risks. This is an impartial warning regarding the aforementioned threat,” he added.