El Al will resume flights to Moscow next month after a four-month suspension due to the accidental downing of an Azerbaijani plane, the Israeli flagship carrier announced on Thursday.
The airline halted flights to Moscow in December after Azeri officials said a passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan had been downed by Russian air defenses as a result of regional tensions from the war in Ukraine.
El AL said that it will operate seven weekly flights to Russia’s capital starting on May 1.
“The decision was made following an up-to-date situation assessment and ongoing discussions with the country’s authorities in order to ensure flight safety,” El Al said in a statement.
The Israeli carrier was one of the last Western airlines to fly to Moscow after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted global aviation sanctions.
About 1.3 million Russian speakers live in Israel, about 13% of the population.
