Health and Travel Alert – U.S. Mission Russia (April 16, 2020)
Location: Russia, country-wide
Event: Rumors of Aeroflot Flight to the United States on April 20
The U.S. Embassy is aware of rumors of a possible Aeroflot flight departing Moscow-SVO to New York-JFK on Monday, April 20. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also aware of such rumors but has not yet confirmed the existence of this flight. We will send a message to the U.S. citizen community if tickets go on sale. However, we urge you to check Aeroflot’s website regularly or contact Aeroflot customer service for the most up to date information.
These are commercial flights operated by Aeroflot with tickets sold directly to the public. Note that the Embassy is not creating a list of passengers nor is involved in the selection or ticketing of passengers for Aeroflot flights. We understand that Aeroflot customer service sometimes mistakenly refers customers to the Embassy, and we have asked them to stop. Please contact Aeroflot directly to book a seat for these flights.
We have heard from U.S. citizens who have not yet been able to take advantage of these sporadic Aeroflot flights to New York. We do not have plans for additional charter flights, and we urge U.S. citizens to contact the airline directly for tickets. We will update the U.S. citizen community as we have additional information of commercial airline flights.
Future Aeroflot flights are likely to be announced on short notice, with only a few hours to purchase tickets and check-in at the airport. Given this unpredictability, the Embassy may not be able to provide advance notification of flights to our U.S. citizen community. For those who wish to depart Russia, we strongly recommend checking Aeroflot’s websiteregularly for flight availability. If you learn of an outgoing flight, please do alert us at MoscowACS@state.gov so that we may share the information as widely as possible.
Additionally, you may be required to obtain a permit to travel to the airport. You can apply for a digital pass at the Moscow Mayor’s website. To request a pass in order to move from an airport in Moscow to a railway or bus station, choose “One-time trip for other purposes” as your goal. Traffic police are conducting checks at the road entrances to Moscow, which may cause significant traffic jams. Please make plans in advance to allow time to obtain your permit and reach your destination.
Continued Communication: Also, please continue to monitor our website and ensure you are enrolled in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). We will issue Health and Travel alerts on a regular basis and email you directly when we have additional information regarding flights. In case of emergency, please reach out to us via the following points of contact – Emergency Contact List.
Additional Actions to Take:
-Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
-For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
-Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
-Check with your airlines, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions.
-Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Russia.
-Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Moscow, Russia
Bolshoy Deviatinsky Pereulok No. 8
+7 495 728-5000
Website – U.S. Embassy Moscow
- U.S. Consulate General Yekaterinburg
15 Gogol Street
+7 (343) 379-3001
After hours – +7 (917) 569-3549
Website – U.S. Consulate General Yekaterinburg
- U.S. Consular Agency Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Lada Hotel, Suite 210
154 Komsomolskaya Street
+7-4242-42-49-17 (Mondays and Thursdays, 0900-1300)
After hours – +7-914-704-07 62
- State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 202-501-4444
- Russia Country Information
- Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts.
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