MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Flight connection between Russia and Tajikistan will be halted from December 22, an official with Russia’s Transport Ministry told TASS.
"We confirm our actions. The flight connection will be halted at 00:00 on December 22," the official said commenting the reports that Tajikistan’s Transport Ministry refused to grant permit to the Yamal airline to make flights from the Zhukovsky airport near Moscow to the Tajik capital of Dushanbe in winter season of 2016-2017.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan refused to give a permit to Russia’s Yamal Airline for making flights from Zhukovsky Airport in Moscow Region to Dushanbe in winter 2016-2017.
"Considering that the Tajik party has not appointed the second air carrier in this route and for parity support purposes, it does not appear possible to provide an operations permit for regulator flights of AO Yamal Airlines in the winter season of 2016-2017, the Ministry said."
The Tajikistan’s Ministry believes that Yamal Airline had no right to open sales of tickets for this route.
The Russian Ministry of Transport warned earlier today that the Russian side reserves the right to suspend air traffic from midnight of December 22 if the Tajik party does not follow undertaken commitments. The refusal to authorize Yamal flights referring to lack of parity is not qualified, the Russian Ministry said.
On November 7, Russia and Tajikistan reached an agreement to continue to develop air service between the two countries in full volume, a spokesman for the Russian ministry of transport told TASS on Monday.
Air service between the two countries is operated by Tajik air companies Tajik Air and Somon Air, and Russia’s air carriers Ural Airlines, Rossiya, Sibir (S7), and UTair. In August 2916, Russia’s air transport authority Rosaviatsiya issued permissions to Russian air companies Vim Airlines, Yamal and Ural Airlines to perform flights to Dushanbe from the Zhukovsky airport but no such permission was issued by the Tajik side.
On December 20, Russia’s Transport Ministry said that Tajikistan was attempting to rethink existing air travel agreements.
According to the Ministry, Tajikistan violates agreements as it withholds permits for flights.
A source in the Ministry’s press service told TASS. "The Transport Ministry of the Russian Federation is objecting yet another attempt to rethink the existing agreements and is strongly urging its Tajik colleagues to strictly adhere to assumed obligations," he added.