Air Tanzania suspends flights to Moscow citing safety concerns
Air Tanzania has suddenly halted the carrier’s direct flights between Dar-es-salaam and Moscow.
The management of Air Tanzania says they were shelving services because the company was studying and reviewing the safety situation along the route.
The Tanzanian National Carrier will effective from the 4th day of September 2026 suspend services to the Russian City.
An official dispatch from the company headquarters says the management was ‘assessing the operating environment,’ without issuing further clarifications.
“Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) wishes to inform its valued customers and the general public that flights TC422 and TC423 between Dar es Salaam and Moscow are temporarily suspended with effect from 4th of September, 2026,” reads part of the statement.
The decision follows a routine risk assessment of the operating environment along the route.
According to the management, Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) usually conducts these assessments continuously across the carrier’s entire network.
“… and where the outcome supports a pause, we take one. Safety considerations always take precedence over commercial ones,” ATCL maintains.
But for the passengers holding tickets on affected flights, the company says these will be offered a full refund or rebooking to an alternative date or routing at no additional cost.
People who had booked flights to Moscow have therefore been requested to contact Air Tanzania offices, either physical or by phone to address the issue.
Alternatively, they can also do so through their respective travel agents.
“We continue to monitor conditions in consultation with the relevant authorities and will announce the resumption of services as soon as the assessment gives green light,” they stated.
Air Tanzania launched flights to Moscow in July 2026 when their aircraft flew from Dar-es-salaam to Moscow via the Zanzibar Islands.
The National carrier’s inaugural flight landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Thursday, July 2, 2026 carrying 123 passengers, while 144 other travelers were booked on the return service.
Air Tanzania was supposed to operate the Dar es Salaam–Moscow (Vnukovo)–Zanzibar route three times a week using Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Until now, Air Tanzania was the only airline which was offering scheduled passenger flights between Russia and Tanzania.
The one-way journey between Dar-es-salaam and Moscow takes around 8.5 hours.