El Al cancels all Moscow flights until March after Russia downs airplane from Azerbaijan

The Israeli airline company El Al has decided to suspend all flights to the Russian capital Moscow until at least the end of March 2025.

Like other international airline companies, El Al suspended all flights to Moscow last week citing “developments in Russia’s airspace,” referring to an incident where Russian aerial defense systems reportedly downed a passenger jet from Azerbaijan on Christmas Day, claiming the lives of 38 people. 

“After conducting a comprehensive situation assessment, El Al suspends all of its operations on the Tel Aviv-Moscow route until the end of the winter schedule,” the airline announced in an official statement. “The decision comes after ongoing dialogue with the authorities in the country to understand the situation.”

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev explicitly blamed Russia for the fatal incident. 

“We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia. This is a fact,” Aliyev stated during a televised interview. “No one can deny this fact,” the Azeri leader continued. “Again, we are not saying that this was done intentionally, but it was done.”

While refraining from taking responsibility for the incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the “tragic incident” happened in the context of Russian aerial defense systems repelling Ukrainian drones. 

However, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy responded by rejecting Putin’s claim, and said Russia must "stop spreading disinformation." 

While relations between Russia and Israel have deteriorated since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Israeli airline companies have, until recently, continued to operate direct flights between Moscow and Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport. 

Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country strategically located in the Caucasus region and bordering Iran, has in recent years strengthened its bilateral ties with the Jewish state due to shared interests. 

In May 2023, Israeli President Isaac Herzog emphasized the strong historical ties between the Azeri and Jewish nations during a state visit to Azerbaijan.

“We need to remember that beyond trade and historic ties, including with the Jewish community, that Azerbaijan is Iran's neighbor,” Herzog stated. He emphasized that the Iranian regime threatens both Israel, Azerbaijan and the Middle East.

“Iran is a destabilizing influence in the region that is working continuously to act against Israel and against the developing alliance of peace and security in the region, and I will certainly discuss this,” he continued.

There are strong and growing military ties between Israel and Azerbaijan. Israel has provided the Azeri military with advanced military equipment. In return, Azerbaijan has reportedly permitted the Israeli military and intelligence agencies to set up a presence close to the Iranian border.

The unofficial Israeli presence in Azerbaijan could play an important role in any potential future large-scale Israeli military operations against Iranian military and nuclear sites.  

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who visited Azerbaijan in July 2023, warned that Iran’s aggressive imperial ambitions threaten the Middle East and global security.

"The visit comes against the background of a period saturated with security challenges,” Gallant said. 

“I will present to the Azerbaijanis, in an accurate manner, the global danger of military nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran. I will detail to them the dangerous actions that Iran is doing within the borders of Israel... and throughout the Middle East.”