Russia Says Evacuation Flights Ready to Be Sent to Middle East

(MENAFN) Russia is preparing a large-scale air evacuation operation from the Middle East, with airlines on standby to deploy wide-body aircraft the moment regional airspace reopens, the country's top aviation authority announced Monday.

Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia's State Transport Agency Rosaviation, stated that evacuation flights are primed for immediate dispatch pending the restoration of flight corridors across the region.

"Events in the Middle East are developing rapidly. We remain in constant contact with carriers and are preparing for the next stage—the opening of the skies. As soon as restrictions on the use of airspace are lifted, it is important to evacuate people in an organized and swift manner," he said.

Yadrov further warned: "If necessary, flights will be consolidated and operated on wide-body aircraft to pick up the maximum number of people as soon as the corridors open."

In a separate development, Russian national carrier Aeroflot announced the immediate launch of evacuation services from the United Arab Emirates. Three flights are scheduled for Tuesday — two departing from Dubai and one from Abu Dhabi — with priority boarding extended to passengers holding tickets dated February 28 and beyond.

Budget carrier S7 similarly confirmed the activation of its own evacuation operations, with an inaugural flight set to depart Dubai bound for Novosibirsk on Tuesday.

The flurry of activity follows a significant disruption to air travel across the region. Earlier Monday, the first aircraft carrying Russian tourists in nearly three days touched down at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, arriving from Abu Dhabi.

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