Russia Lifts Ban On Charter Flights To Turkey

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a directive lifting a nine-month ban on charter flights to Turkey.

The directive was published on the Russian government’s website on August 28.

Airline companies have started to submit applications for charters to Turkey to the Russian aviation authorities, Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said in a statement.

The move comes after the Russian and Turkish presidents vowed to open a new period of close relations after Vladimir Putin hosted Recep Tayyip Erdogan in St. Petersburg on August 9.

The halt to charter flights between Russia and Turkey was one of several sanctions imposed by Moscow after a Turkish F-16 downed a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in November 2015.

As a result, the number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey fell by 87 percent in January-May this year.

Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, TASS, and Interfax