El Al halts Moscow route until April 1 after Russia apparently downs Azeri plane

Israel’s flagship carrier El Al said Monday that it has decided to extend the suspension of its flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow through the end of March. The move comes after El Al halted air traffic to and from Moscow last week, citing “developments in Russia’s airspace,” after Azeri officials said a passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday had been downed by Russian air defenses. “After conducting a comprehensive situation assessment, El Al is suspending all of its operations on the Tel Aviv-Moscow route until the end of the winter schedule,” El Al said in a statement. “The decision comes after ongoing dialogue with the authorities in the country to understand the situation.” Amid complaints from Israelis who said they had been stranded in Moscow, El Al told The Times of Israel that passengers with a canceled ticket on the Moscow-Tel Aviv route would be able to fly home from any destination in Europe they are able to get to, at no additional cost.<br/>