Russia resuming full-scale air traffic with Turkey next week

Russia is resuming full-scale air traffic with Turkey next Tuesday, permitting the large tourist trade of Russians taking holidays in Turkey to restart, the country announced.

The decision was made following a visit of Russian experts to Turkey to assess safety measures, Vice Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told a government meeting in Moscow on June 18. 

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy welcomed Russia's move on Twitter.

"Russia's resumption of flights to our country as of June 22 is an indication of the trust in our country for safe tourism," Ersoy wrote.

"I hope that we will reap the fruits of our diplomatic traffic with other countries in the upcoming period, as with Russia," he added.

Turkey has spearheaded safe tourism campaigns and a special certification to ensure that tourists and locals alike are safe from further coronavirus outbreaks.

Turkey is the most popular holiday direction among Russian tourists. In 2019 over 7 million Russian tourists visited Turkey, more than any other country.

In 2020, even with the pandemic, more than 2.7 million Russian tourists chose Turkey as their holiday destination.

More flights, more countries

The Russian coronavirus emergency task force also decided to cancel restrictions for flights to the U.S., Italy, Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus, North Macedonia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Jordan, and Ireland, Golikova added.

In addition, starting June 28, Russia will boost the number of flights to Austria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Greece, Qatar, Finland, Croatia, Switzerland, and lift the ban for the entry of Chinese and Liechtenstein nationals, she added.

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