Kazakhstan's national airline Air Astana and Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines said Friday they were temporarily suspending flights to Russia, following sanctions imposed on Moscow over what it calls a "military operation" in Ukraine.
The companies made the decision because of uncertainties over the insurance of aircraft bound for Russia, they said in separate press releases.
Air Astana, which operates flights to several destinations in Russia said it was seeking to "restore flights as soon as possible."
The carrier's decision means there are no direct connections between Moscow and Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, representatives of two travel agencies in Almaty told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Russians and foreigners seeking to leave and return to Russia have been using the Almaty for transit and cities in other ex-Soviet countries not participating in sanctions against Moscow as points of transit.
Pegasus Airlines said that its flights to Russia will be suspended from March 13 to 27.
The Turkish airline said this measure was linked to "operational risks" due to the sanctions imposed by the European Union.
As a result of Western sanctions, the insurances of air carriers operating flights to Russia are no longer valid.
To continue operating requires state financial guarantees like Israel has done for its airlines operating flights to Russia.
Britain, Canada, the European Union and the United States have suspended flights to Russia and closed their airspace to Russian aircraft as part of sanctions.
Russia retaliated, blocking airlines from those countries from flying over its territory.
Flights to Turkey and Kazakhstan have been some of the few routes out of Russia since most European countries closed their airspace to Russian aircraft.
Turkey's Pegasus told AFP it would be stopping flights from Saturday.
The country's flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines, said flights to and from Russia will "continue for the moment."
In the last week, prices for Moscow-Istanbul tickets soared as many scrambled to leave Russia on one of the few routes left out of the country.
Air links are still open from some countries to and from Russia, including Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
