Charter flights to Turkey, a favorite summer vacation spot for Russians, will resume shortly, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told journalists in St. Petersburg on July 11.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed the Transport Ministry and other agencies on July 8 to present proposals for the resumption of flights between Russia and Turkey within a week, giving "special attention to the need to...ensure transport security and rule out flights to the areas with a high terrorist danger."
Russia shut down charter traffic late last year and imposed other sanctions on Ankara after Turkey shot down a Russian plane near its border with Syria.
But after a bitter diplomatic and economic dispute between the two nations, relations thawed late last month after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his regrets over the death of a Russian pilot onboard the downed plane.
Russian tour operators have already resumed the sale of tours to Turkey by regular commercial flights.
