Flight Bans to Egypt, Turkey and Ukraine to Cost Moscow Airports $74M

Moscow airports will lose 5 billion rubles ($74 million) annually due to the ban on flights to Egypt, Turkey and Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported Friday, citing the Domodedovo Airport Official.

The destinations affected by the ban account for around 20 percent of the total number of destinations processed by Moscow airports, Domodedovo Airport's acting director Denis Nuzhdin said, TASS reported.

From Dec. 1, Russia banned all charter flights to Turkey as part of sanctions against the country over the downing of a Russian warplane.

Last month, Russia also imposed a ban on all passenger flights to Egypt following the downing of a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31 — the result of a bomb on board.

In October, Ukraine banned Russian airlines from flying to the country as part of sanctions against Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

According to Nuzhdin's estimates, domestic operations are unlikely to compensate for the airports' losses due to the cancellation of these foreign destinations.

Passengers flying with foreign airlines brings from 2 to 2.5 times more profit than ones on domestic flights, Nuzhdin said, according to the report.