Moscow restarts air travel for Russians to Turkey

Moscow blocked Russian citizens from flying to Turkey in the wake of a bloody coup attempt that rocked the country

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Moscow on Friday lifted a temporary ban on air travel for Russian citizens to Turkey imposed over fears of unrest after a failed coup in the country.

"From July 22 2016 regular air connections for all airlines making flights from the territory of Russia to Turkey are reestablished," the transport ministry said in a statement released overnight.



Moscow blocked Russian citizens from flying to Turkey on Saturday in the wake of a bloody coup attempt that rocked the country and President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to help holidaymakers return home.

Airlines cancelled flights over the weekend before restarting air travel only for non-Russian citizens.

The ministry said the decision to lift the restrictions was taken "after receiving assurances from the Turkish side on urgent measures taken for the increased security of Russian citizens".

Flagship carrier Aeroflot confirmed that it had started allowing Russian citizens onto its regular flights to Turkey from 00:00 on Friday (21:00 GMT Thursday).

"Aeroflot is restarting carrying Russian citizens and the sale of tickets to Turkey," the company said in a statement.



Major cities in Turkey descended into battlegrounds on the night of July 15 during a coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that ultimately ended in failure.

Russia and Turkey have only recently mended ties after they were shattered by Ankara's shooting down of one of Moscow's warplanes over the Syria border last November.

The Kremlin has lifted retaliatory sanctions it slapped on Turkey preventing the sale of package tours to the country and is in the process of restarting charter flights.

The punitive measures dealt a crushing blow to the Turkish tourism industry, which is hugely reliant on Russian tourists especially on its Mediterranean coast.