Israeli flag carrier El Al has restarted its service between Tel Aviv, Israel, and Moscow Domodedovo (Russia) last Thursday.
The flight, designated LY611, was operated by a Boeing 737-900 registered 4X-EHH. The El Al aircraft took off from Tel Aviv at 8:25 AM local time. It initially headed southwest before turning north and flying over Cyprus and Turkey. The Boeing 737 then continued its journey towards the Russian capital via Eastern Europe. It flew west of the Black Sea and along the border with Ukraine. Ultimately, the aircraft circumvented Belarus before landing at Domodedovo International Airport, nearly five hours after takeoff. After approximately two hours on the ground, the 737 departed again for Tel Aviv.
Temporary Route Suspension
El Al had temporarily suspended this route since the end of last year due to ‘developments’ in Russian airspace. This decision followed the crash of an Embraer E190 operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, reportedly caused by Russian air defense systems. The aircraft, en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia, crashed near Aktau. Kazakhstan. 38 passengers lost their lives as a result of the crash.
According to Aviation24.be, El Al stated that the decision to resume the route was made after a reassessment of the circumstances and consultations with the relevant authorities. The airline operates multiple weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow, with up to two flights on certain days.