The airline announced on September 3 that flights TC422 and TC423 would be suspended from September 4.
“The decision follows a routine risk assessment of the operating environment along the route,”
“Safety considerations always take precedence over commercial ones,” Air Tanzania said, without directly attributing the decision to Ukraine’s warning.
But in a new public notice issued on September 4, ATCL said the services would resume on Monday, September 7, after completing its assessment in consultation with relevant authorities.
The airline did not explicitly link the decision to Ukraine’s warning that Russian airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous because of intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks.
ATCL said it continuously assesses operating conditions across its network and resumes services when the assessment supports doing so. It also said it would continue monitoring conditions along the route and could take further action if circumstances change.
The move comes just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned airlines and insurers that increased Ukrainian drone activity was making Russian airspace increasingly risky for civilian aviation.
Ukraine has also formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization of its concerns, arguing that the intensifying conflict is creating new risks for commercial aircraft operating over Russia.
Tanzania’s growing Russia connection faces an aviation test
The timing is significant for Tanzania, which has been moving to deepen economic and diplomatic ties with Russia.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan made a three-day state visit to Moscow in June, where she held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit was Tanzania’s first presidential trip to Russia in 55 years and included discussions around trade, transport, energy and minerals.
Air Tanzania subsequently launched direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Moscow in July, creating a new passenger link between East Africa and Russia and supporting the countries’ efforts to expand commercial and tourism ties.
The new route has now been exposed to the security risks created by the war in Ukraine.
Russia has rejected Ukraine’s assessment that its airspace is unsafe and has said its aviation infrastructure continues to operate normally. Russian authorities have also told foreign airlines that measures are in place to protect civil aviation.
However, Russian airports, including those serving Moscow, have faced repeated temporary disruptions linked to Ukrainian drone attacks. The disruptions have added to concerns among airlines operating into the country.
Other airlines face disruptions
Air Tanzania is not the only airline facing disruption on Russia-linked routes as concerns over the safety of Russian airspace grow.
Turkish carriers have also faced disruption, but have not withdrawn from the Russian market. Pegasus Airlines cancelled some flights to and from Russia on September 2, while at least one Moscow-bound flight was diverted back to Istanbul amid temporary restrictions affecting Russian airports.
Turkish Airlines also cancelled some flights during the disruption, but continued operating flights to Russia as conditions allowed. The carrier’s wider Russian network therefore remained active despite the temporary cancellations.
Dubai-based flydubai similarly experienced delays and operational disruptions affecting its Russia services, while carriers from Turkey, China and the Gulf continued to maintain flights to Russian destinations.
For African airlines, Air Tanzania’s brief suspension illustrates how the changing security environment could complicate efforts to build new commercial and tourism links with Russia.
