Russia suspends air traffic with Tanzania until June 2021
Russia has suspended air traffic with Tanzania due to increased cases of Covid-19 contamination from the East African country.
The sparkling white sand beaches of the Zanzibar Archipelago and the coral reefs off its coast have recently made it a popular vacation spot for Russian tourists.
"Based on the analysis of epidemiological data, we have decided to suspend air traffic with the United Republic of Tanzania from April 15 to June 1, 2021," Tatiana Golikova deputy prime minister said last Sunday at the meeting.
A reassessment of the situation will be made on a periodic basis, she said, noting that for the time being tour operators have been advised to suspend the sale of a tourism product to Tanzania from the Russian Federation. Extensive surveillance for the genetic variability of the virus has shown that most travelers from Tanzania carry the South African variant.
Zanzibar Archipelago is the preferred vacation spot for Russian tourists in Tanzania. The international airport of this semi-autonomous region regularly hosts several charter flights, offered by Royal Flight, Azur Air and UTA, from Russian cities such as Moscow, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Ufa and Kazan. These routes are mostly operated by Boeing 767/777.
