Charter flights to Turkey may resume in 7 days after lifting restrictions — tour operators

First charter flights to Turkey may start not earlier than a week after lifting restrictions, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) said in a statement on Wednesday. "Lifting restrictions from charter flight to Turkey requires a relevant government decree," ATOR said. "Preparation of the decree takes time. However, after all restrictions are officially lifted, the first charter may fly to Turkey not earlier than a week after, tour operators note," the Association added. "It will take time to find aircraft, coordinate flights with the aviation agency, find slots at airports," ATOR noted. According to a representative of a major tour operator, full-scale programs to Turkey may be resumed in September or October. "Lifting restrictions on charter flights to Turkey is another opportunity for Russians to expand the framework of the beach season, and for tour operators - to attract more tourists from the category of ‘delayed demand’," the expert said. On August 9 Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference that Russian tourist flow to Turkey will sooner or later return to the level before the crisis in relations. The Russian leader reminded that ban on selling tours to this country was lifted in June. "The main thing here is that Turkey ensures maximum security for Russian citizens, and we have received such guarantees from our partners," Putin noted. "In this regard, we considered the possibility of returning charter service. This is probably the matter of technical details," the president concluded.