(Paris) Air France has decided to reduce its service to Moscow from Paris-Charles de Gaulle from 12 to 7 weekly flights, the French airline announced on Thursday after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Posted at 2:09 p.m.
“As of tomorrow (Friday editor’s note) we will provide one flight per day between Paris CDG and Moscow and no more Air France crew will be accommodated in Russia”, specified a spokesperson.
Until now, Air France operated one or two flights a day from Paris to Moscow, for a total of 12 per week.
“Apart from Moscow, Air France flies to Saint Petersburg. At this stage, the program for this destination is unchanged, ”added the spokesperson, specifying that this represented two flights per week.
Earlier Thursday, Air France’s sister company, the Dutch KLM, announced that its crew members were no longer spending the night on stopovers in Russia because of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have currently decided not to let our crew spend the night in Russia due to the uncertain situation,” the company said in a statement sent to AFP.
“KLM is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and Russia and is in constant consultation with the Dutch government, among others, about the situation,” she added.
The airline has for this reason canceled a flight which was to leave Thursday evening bound for Moscow, according to the Dutch press agency.
KLM, which serves Saint Petersburg and the Russian capital, continues to provide the link between the Netherlands and Russia, however, by organizing departures differently.
The airline had announced on February 12 the suspension of flights to Ukraine until further notice, just after the Dutch government had advised its nationals to leave the country due to the deterioration of the security situation.
The subject is particularly sensitive in the Netherlands since the 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers on board – including 196 Dutch nationals — and the 15 crew members.
Moscow has always denied any involvement.