The first plane in two days took off from Abu Dhabi to Moscow

The first passenger plane to Moscow in more than two days took off from Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was announced on March 2 by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

The plane successfully landed in Abu Dhabi and flew back to Moscow, to Sheremetyevo, departing at 14:30 Moscow time (or at 15:30 local time). It is operated by the UAE national airline Etihad Airways.

"Passengers with Etihad tickets who were unable to take off on February 28 were put on the Moscow flight. The flight is operated on board a Boeing 787 (about 300 seats). This is the first flight to Russia after massive cancellations," the Association wrote on its Telegram channel.

Meanwhile, most of the remaining flights from Abu Dhabi to Russia remain canceled or are completely absent from the airport information boards.

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Organized tourists get extended hotel stays, but in the chaos of the first day, many had to pay for them themselves.

The airports of Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, have suspended their operations indefinitely due to the escalation of the conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran. In this regard, Aeroflot canceled all flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and this measure was extended until March 3.

On February 28, Aeroflot cancelled all flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi on February 28 amid attacks by Iran and Israel. At the same time, explosions occurred in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Izvestia published footage from the airport in Dubai after the UAE intercepted several missiles launched from Iran. They show that the tourist area is almost empty.

According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), there may be about 50 thousand Russian tourists in the UAE. This is the largest number of Russian citizens among the countries of the region. So, there are only about 1 thousand Russians in Qatar, about 700 in Oman, and about 300 in Bahrain. The exact data is being clarified.

Iran has attacked four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. At the same time, the IDF launched a massive airstrike on military installations in western Iran. The city of Shiraz was attacked. In addition, 70,000 Israeli reservists were called up for military service.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.