ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th July, 2023) Russian charter airline Azur Air has received permission to launch flights to Tanzania, Russian Ambassador to Tanzania Andrey Avetisyan told Sputnik, adding that the flights will start in the fall.
"Azur Air has already received permission from the Russian and Tanzanian civil aviation authorities to organize charter flights ... I expect that charter flights between Russia and Tanzania will start sometime in the fall when the load on popular summer tourist destinations drops and then Zanzibar becomes more popular," Avetisyan said.
He noted that the main reason for the low tourist flow was the lack of direct flights between the countries. The ambassador also added that after the closure of airspace due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the flow of Russian tourists fell to almost zero.
"Now, after the end of the pandemic, tourism is starting to revive, but very slowly," Avetisyan said.
In addition, the parties may begin to discuss the possibility of waiving visas on a reciprocal basis, but "as of today, Moscow is not conducting such negotiations," Avetisyan added.
