Tajikistan: Airline war with Russia resumes. Again

Russia has once again slapped major restrictions on Tajikistan-based private carrier Somon Air in the latest instalment of a long-running saga. The Transportation Ministry in Moscow said that it adopted the measure in a tit-for-tat response to Tajikistan’s refusal to grant landing rights to Russia’s Yamal Airlines. The dispute stems from a pretty disagreement over what airlines are allowed to operate which routes and has been rolling on since early November. Dushanbe fired the first salvo by refusing to give clearance to flights arriving from the Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region, to which Russia reacted by threatening a complete halt to all flights to Tajikistan. After multiple rounds of bickering, Tajikistan agreed to allow Yamal Airlines to fly once a week to Dushanbe and the northern city of Khujand. <br/>