Air India suspends Delhi-Moscow flights, Russian Embassy claims amid war with Ukraine

Amid the unabated Russia-Ukraine war, Air India has reportedly suspended operations from Delhi to Moscow from Thursday onwards. The Russian Embassy in India informed on Thursday that Air India had suspended selling tickets for flights flying from Delhi to Moscow. 

The operations of the biweekly flights remain unclear as no official statement regarding the same has been provided by Air India. 
The news sparked off after Russian news agency TASS, in a report stated that the Russian Embassy in India, through their telegram channel, had informed: "Dear fellow citizens. We draw your attention that the Indian airline Air India has stopped selling tickets on the Delhi-Moscow-Delhi route, the prospects for resuming flights of this airline to Russia are uncertain at the moment.”

Air India suspends operations in Moscow: Russian Embassy

Furthermore, the Embassy also informed that Air India’s office has made the passengers entitled to a full refund for the cancelled flights. Some reports have claimed that the reason behind Air India’s move is being speculated to be the increased threat perception of the ongoing war. 

Other reports suggest that Air India failed to secure insurance cover to carry operations, hence they are suspending direct flights to Moscow. Nevertheless, passengers wishing to travel to Russia from India can take connecting flights through Tashkent, Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and other destinations.

For the unversed, Air India is now being run by the Tata group. The control of the airlines was handed over to them by the Union government after they secured the divestment deal. 

India condemns 'Bucha killings'

The Russian invasion of Ukraine had commenced on February 24 and since then, the Indian government had remained cautious of choosing any sides in the battle. While New Delhi has expressed ‘concerns’ about the ongoing situation, it has steered clear of criticising Russia globally or diplomatically. Despite consistent nudging by the US, India has abstained from voting against Moscow and hasn’t towed the western line as it refused to impose economic sanctions or to ban the trade.

However, at the recent UNSC session held on Tuesday to discuss the Bucha massacre, India had ‘condemned’ the macabre killings and expressed ‘deep concerns' about the humanitarian crisis in the region. The statement is being seen as India’s strongest statement on the war to date. Even though New Delhi didn’t name Russia in its address, it has supported the call for an independent probe of the alleged genocide.

This comes at a time when peace talks between the two nations are ongoing and there is a glimmer of hope since Moscow withdrew its troops from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other northern cities following the Istanbul peace negotiations. Albeit, the war continues as the Russian forces continue to wreak devastation in southern and eastern cities of war-torn Ukraine.

(Image: PTI)