After months of interruption of operations, the Russian charter airline “Nordwind Airlines” has resumed direct flights between Moscow, Varadero, and Cayo Coco, bypassing the airspace of the European Union.
It was confirmed by a video showing a Boeing 777-212 of “Nordwind Airlines” landing in Varadero, published on the Facebook page of the Matanzas-based station “Radio 26”.
“Nordwind Airlines” has authorization for seven weekly flights, including four to Varadero airport and three to Cayo Coco, with a flight time of up to 13 hours from Moscow, as reported by the “Russian Tour Operators Agency” last month.
The number of travelers from Moscow has decreased after the United States and European Union economic sanctions against companies of the Eurasian country came into force because of its military operation in Ukraine.
The closure of European airspace to Russian aircraft made it challenging to maintain routes that had to take a much longer route across the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea to the North Atlantic.
It meant an extra three hours of travel time and a lot of fuel, so all direct flights to the communist-ruled Caribbean island were initially canceled, but they will resume during the high season and, if demand is high enough, could improve the battered tourism figures.
With information from Latina Press