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Moscow Airports Lose $76 Million From Flight Bans

Financial losses for Moscow's airports from Russia's ban on flights to Turkey, Egypt and Ukraine amount to 6 billion rubles ($76 million), according to Domodedovo Airport's acting director Denis Nuzhdin, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.

The biggest loss — more than 3 billion rubles — resulted from restrictions on flights to Turkey, Nuzhdin said.

The ban on flights to Egypt cost Moscow airports 2.3 billion rubles ($29 million) and another 690 million rubles ($8.7 million) was lost due to the suspension of flights to Ukraine, Nuzhdin added.

Flights between Russia and Ukraine were halted in October amid a standoff over Moscow's actions in eastern Ukraine.

In November, Russia imposed a ban on all passenger flights to Egypt after a Russian plane was brought down by a terrorist bomb over the Sinai Peninsula.

Charter flights to Turkey were banned by Russia from Dec. 1 as part of sanctions against the country over its downing of a Russian warplane.

Nuzhdin said domestic flights will not compensate for losses caused by the cancellation of foreign routes.

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