U.S. airline Delta has suspended direct flights to Russia until the end of the year.



Delta's general representative in Russia, Leonid Tarasov, made the announcement Tuesday following e arlier reports that Delta had completely withdrawn from the Russian market.

Speaking in an interview with the Govorit Moskva radio station, Tarasov said that the move was due to an expected drop in demand during the winter season.

The U.S. airline’s last flight out of Russia this year will take off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Tuesday. Customers will now only be able to travel to the United States with Delta with a KLM or Air France flight via Amsterdam or Paris respectively.

Russian carrier Aeroflot will continue to fly directly between the two countries, with daily flights between Moscow and New York.

Delta operates in 96 countries, and is considered the world’s largest airline based on the size of its fleet, passenger volume, and number of destinations.