Russia will extend temporary restrictions on flights to Turkey until June 21 and resume flights to the United Kingdom.
Moscow temporarily suspended flights between Russia and the U.K. in late December, after Britain announced it had discovered a highly transmissible strain of Covid-19.
The flight ban, which also affected Turkey as of mid-April, will expire June 21. Authorities cited rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in both countries, although sources said that Moscow’s mid-April announcement followed the Turkish president’s statement in support of Ukraine amid a flare-up in tensions.
Turkey is a major destination for Russian holidaymakers. Last year, despite the pandemic, more than 2.1 million Russian tourists visited Turkey. They accounted for 17 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals in 2020.
Russian Anti-Coronavirus Crisis Centre announced that starting June 10, flights will also resume to and from Austria, Hungary, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Morocco, and Croatia.
