Wizz Air has come under serious criticism after one of its offshoots restarted flights to Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has announced it will restart flights from Abu Dhabi to Moscow later this year, with tickets on sale from October 3.
The budget airline - which was launched in Hungary - is breaking ranks with other carriers to start flying passengers to and from Russia.
The country has been under a major international boycott for months due to its invasion of Ukraine, which has claimed countless lives and seen Russia accused of despicable war crimes.
Flights to Russia from the UK and EU are banned, with the EU currently under some pressure to block all visas for Russian tourists.
Wizz had initially launched the route in December 2021, before suspending it when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Etihad, Emirates and FlyDubai are among the airlines operating to Russia from the UAE.
Wizz Air has been responding to criticism of the policy on its social media account.
"Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a national UAE carrier that operates in line with the UAE's national regulations and policies," the company has been replying to critical tweets.
"The airline is resuming its operation to Moscow to meet travel demand for passengers wishing to fly to and from Russia from the UAE capital. All UAE national airlines are currently operating direct flights to Russia.
"Wizz Air Hungary and Wizz Air UK are not currently operating flights to Russia."
One person asked: "Did you wake up in a universe where Russia is no longer a terrorist state?"
Another added: "I bought tickets for WizzAir planes 22 times since 2019. But after the last news about returning planes to Russia, I will never have anything (to do) with a company that supports terrorists."
Another wrote: "Hey Wizz Air. I enjoyed a couple of flights with you. Too bad there will be no more, given you are trading with Russia.
"Demand in Russia goes up, but I'll do my part to reduce demand elsewhere."
This morning Wizz Air tweeted that it was providing 100,000 free tickets in Europe for passengers with a Ukrainian passport - a scheme it launched in May.
Mark Borkowski, a crisis PR consultant, told CNN that restarting flights to Russia was a risky move.
"We now begin to see a number of brands beginning to check their resolve, and as events drag on the virtue-signalling will give way to commercial intent," he said.
"I expect this decision will be viewed with great interest. It could be a disaster -- however the bigger issue is fatigue.
"Certain commercial interests will prevail. Nevertheless it's a risky move that could turn into a profound PR own goal."
