Close relatives of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon may acquire Tajik Air “for a pittance”, Eurasianet has reported, citing anonymous sources.
The airline cancelled all of its flights until the end of March last week but provided no explanation for its actions. All ground staff, pilots and crew were put on unpaid leave. Tajik Air has been struggling for over a decade, having accrued domestic debts worth $14mn for fuel deliveries, on-board catering as well as airport and air navigation services. The carrier is also drowning in foreign debt though figures have not been disclosed, according to the report.
Mismanagement at Tajik airlines, including Somon Air, has been seen over past years in quarrels with Russian aviation authorities and airlines, which frequently resulted in prolonged flight cancellations.
These rows may have reached a boiling point at the end of 2018, when Russian airports said they would no longer accept Tajik Air flights unless the airline’s debts were cleared. Moreover, Russian aviation authorities removed the Tajik airline from the Sirena-Travel computerised ticket reservation system. To top it off, the carrier lost its fuel supplier in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan is Central Asia's poorest nation and is heavily dependent on remittances from Tajiks who work abroad in Russia and other countries.
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