Russian airlines still fly through Iran's airspace, but with additional safety measures, in the wake of the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jetliner last week, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), said in a press release on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2020) Russian airlines still fly through Iran's airspace, but with additional safety measures, in the wake of the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jetliner last week, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), said in a press release on Tuesday.
"Russian airlines continue to operate in Iran's airspace with precautions that were recommended by Rosaviatsiya, including making adjustments to routes and flight schedules," the press release said, adding that the agency would continue to monitor the situation.
Russian airlines do not operate in Iraqi airspace and are not planning to do so in the future, Rosaviatsiya also said.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed near Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport minutes after takeoff on Wednesday. All 176 people on board were killed. The crash occurred shortly after Iran launched airstrikes against US bases in neighboring Iraq. On Saturday, the Iranian military admitted to unintentionally shooting down the Boeing 737-800, having confused it with a hostile cruise missile in anticipation of a retaliatory strike from the United States.
Following the accident, many major airlines canceled flights to Iran or all flights over Iranian airspace, including Germany's Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Air-France-KLM, China Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Air Canada.
