Turkmenistan Airlines has suspended flights to Moscow. The carrier cited what it described as "the situation in the Moscow air zone," an apparent allusion to recent drone attacks on the Russian capital that have taken place amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

The company announced that instead of flying from Ashgabat to Moscow, it would fly to Russia’s fifth largest city, Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan region, located approximately 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of Moscow.

The Turkmenistan Airlines announcement came just hours after a drone hit a Moscow office tower and several other drones were downed by Moscow's air defences. Another drone attack over the weekend hit the same building.

Moscow's Vnukovo airport was briefly closed because of the incidents.

An announcement from Turkmenistan Airlines read: “Dear passengers, we would like to inform you that due to the air situation in the Moscow air zone, as well as based on a risk assessment in order to ensure flight safety, starting from 01.08.2023, all flights of Turkmenistan Airlines operating on the Ashgabat-Moscow-Ashgabat route will be suspended and will be operated on the Ashgabat-Kazan-Ashgabat route."

Passengers with scheduled flights from Moscow to Ashgabat on August 2 were provided with a free shuttle bus from Domodedovo Airport to Kazan Airport, airline said.

SimpleFlying reported: “Flightradar24.com data reveals that Turkmenistan Airlines' flight T5726 between Moscow and Ashgabat was relatively infrequent, with just one weekly flight. The airline utilized its Boeing 737-800 aircraft on this route.

“The carrier currently has 22 aircraft in its fleet, including 12 Boeing 737s, four Boeing 777s, three Boeing 757s, two Airbus A330s, and a single Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft, according to Planespotters.net.”

Apart from the dangers of drone strikes, Russia's aviation sector faces the challenge of strict international sanctions. These sanctions effectively bar Russian-registered and affiliated aircraft from accessing the airspace of Canada, the US, Europe and several other countries.

What’s more, major aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus and Boeing, have halted the supply of spare aircraft parts for Russian aircraft, a big difficulty for Russian civil aviation, which remains heavily reliant on Western-made aircraft.

Of Russian flag carrier Aeroflot’s fleet of 366 aircraft, only 77 are Sukhoi Superjet 100s, Russia's domestically-produced narrowbody aircraft.

SimpleFlying also reported: “El Pais reported that inspections conducted by Rostransnadzor, a Transportation Ministry agency, discovered that a minimum of 2,000 flights had operated with components that had already exceeded their operational lifespan.

“In addition, an investigation by Proekt Media has found that Aeroflot instructed its aircraft personnel not to record in-flight malfunctions unless specifically directed to do so by the captain.”