PM Anwar invites Russian airlines, including Aeroflot, to resume direct flights to Malaysia
'We have taken a position of centrality in Malaysia, as well as ASEAN, to decide for ourselves what is best for Malaysia and its people,' he said during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, today.
Aeroflot is the largest Russian airline group, which includes the Rossiya and Pobeda airlines.
The Aeroflot Group is the undisputed leader of Russian commercial aviation. In 2024, Aeroflot carried 30.1 million passengers; 55.3 million if other Aeroflot Group airlines are included.
Aeroflot is constantly expanding its domestic route network, including flights between the country's regions, developing socially oriented transportation programmes and implementing its flat fares on flights to cities in the country's Far East and Kaliningrad.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Central African Republic's Touadera announces bid for third term
FILE PHOTO: Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera arrives before a dinner with several heads of state and government and leaders of international organisations at the Elysee Palace, as part of the 19th Francophonie Summit, in Paris, France, October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo BANGUI (Reuters) -Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Saturday he will run for a third term later this year, seeking to extend his rule into a second decade after scrapping term limits in 2023. "Many of you have asked for me, and my answer is yes. I am your candidate for the presidential election of December 2025," the 68-year-old said at a meeting of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital Bangui. "We will continue the work of rebuilding our country." Since taking office in 2016, Touadera has enlisted outside forces to stay in power amid a persistent civil conflict, including mercenaries from Russia's Wagner militia, who intervened in 2018 on the side of the government. Landlocked Central African Republic, roughly the size of France and with a population of around 5.5 million, is deeply impoverished despite being rich in resources including gold, diamonds and timber. It has witnessed waves of instability, including coups and rebellions, since independence from France in 1960. Touadera won a second term in 2020, though militants including the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) have fought to overturn that result. The army, backed by United Nations peacekeepers and Russian and Rwandan troops, has been fighting the group for years. Touadera's current term was supposed to be his last, but in 2023 the country held a constitutional referendum that abolished the two-term limit and extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Opposition parties and civil society groups have said the new constitution, which was backed by more than 95% of voters, could allow Touadera to stay in power for life. The exact date of the December vote has not been announced. (Reporting by Pacome Pabandji; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Jan Harvey)
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
BN-PH pact likely to continue for GE16, but may change after that, says Zahid
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said BN is firm on continuing its alliance with PH in the run-up to the next nationwide polls despite calls for it to go solo. PETALING JAYA : While Barisan Nasional plans to continue its alliance with Pakatan Harapan in the next general election (GE16), BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says its strategies for elections after that may change. Zahid, the Umno president, acknowledged that there were calls for BN to contest in GE16 on its own, but said the coalition is firm on continuing its alliance with PH. However, he said BN's political strategies for the general elections that follow will be determined by the electoral performance of the parties in the alliance, Berita Harian reported. 'We do not know how many seats we will have, and how many seats they will have. 'Remember that, in Malaysia, differences in views are conventionally based on differing party 'colours'. We are willing to forget our different 'colours' for the sake of political stability,' he was quoted as saying. The Umno-led BN played a crucial role in enabling Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to form the unity government in the wake of the 2022 general election, which resulted in a hung Parliament. PH had won 81 parliamentary seats while BN won 30, in what was the latter's worst electoral performance to date.
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Umno to investigate whether its members joined Turun Anwar rally
Ahmad Maslan said the government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim remained stable with a sizeable majority in Parliament. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Umno will look into allegations that some party members took part in the Turun Anwar rally in Kuala Lumpur today, says Supreme Council member Ahmad Maslan. He said the party would wait for a full report before taking action. 'I will need to review these allegations, and the Umno headquarters will look into it and decide on them,' Sinar Harian reported him as saying at the Bagan Serai delegates' meeting in Perak today. Ahmad, who is deputy works minister, said the government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim remains stable with a sizeable majority in Parliament. 'People may question us if our support goes as low as 113 seats. But we have 153. Even if 10 people go, we still have 143. So why do we need to take down the prime minister? He has strong support and the economy is developing well,' he said. (A total of 112 seats is enough for a simple majority in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat). Ahmad said the rally today had tarnished Malaysia's international image, making it seem as if the country is in turmoil. The Turun Anwar rally was attended by about 18,000 people, according to a police estimate, while the rally organisers, PAS Youth, claimed there were over 200,000 participants.
