Jan 7 (Reuters) - Russian airline Utair made

an emergency landing at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday,

Russia's RIA news agency reported.

The Boeing 737 plane with 173 passengers on board was

flying from St Petersburg to Samarkand in Uzbekistan but landed

safely at Vnukovo, RIA reported.

TASS news agency reported that Utair said the emergency

landing was due to a stabiliser malfunction.

Utair and Vnukovo airport did not immediately respond to

Reuters' requests for comment.

RIA cited the airline as saying all passengers and crew were

unharmed.

Russia currently does not have enough planes to meet demand

for air travel, which is rising as Moscow's war effort fuels

economic growth, driving up wages and people's propensity to

spend.

Western sanctions over Moscow's February 2022 invasion of

Ukraine have cut off the supply of planes and parts, which

domestic production has been unable to replace.