AJet has started direct flights between Ankara and St Petersburg, expanding travel links between Türkiye and Russia as interest from Turkish visitors to the city rises sharply.
The new service connects Ankara Esenboğa Airport with St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport and will operate on 5 days a week, with flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Officials said the number of Turkish tourists visiting St Petersburg has doubled compared with last year, reaching a record level.
The inaugural flight was marked by a ceremony at Pulkovo Airport, attended by Basar Basol, Türkiye’s consul general in St Petersburg, a representative of St Petersburg’s foreign affairs committee, Apollinariya Sergeyevna Avrutina, a professor at St Petersburg State University, Cemal Kaya, AJet chief commercial officer, and Asiyat Khalvashi, deputy general manager of the Pulkovo airport operator.
Speaking at a panel on strengthening cooperation between Ankara and St Petersburg, Basol said relations between the two countries were at a very good level. He said there had already been flights from Moscow to Ankara, and now services had begun linking the Russian cultural capital with the Turkish capital.
“Everyone can find something to suit their taste here, culture, art, entertainment, history. It is also much cheaper and safer than European cities. If bureaucratic processes can be made a little easier, interest may increase even more,” said Basar Basol.
Khalvashi said Türkiye was one of the key markets for St Petersburg and expected the new flights to support passenger traffic.
AJet already operates direct flights from Istanbul and Ankara to Moscow and St Petersburg. It also runs two daily services from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Moscow Vnukovo International Airport and St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport.
The new Ankara route adds another direct link for travellers heading to one of Russia’s best-known cultural destinations. St Petersburg has seen growing interest from Turkish tourists in recent years, helped by its arts, history and reputation as a major European city.
For AJet, the launch also strengthens its wider Russia network at a time when demand for direct connections between Türkiye and major Russian cities remains significant.
