How will Russians fly to Turkey now?

On May 25, Turkish airlines Air Anka and TailWind ceased operations in Russia due to the expiration of temporary permits previously issued by the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia). However, the carriers managed to sell tickets to tour operators (primarily Anex Tour) until the end of October.

As a result, approximately 2,100 Russian tourists faced flight cancellations on May 26-27. These included passengers to fly from Russia to Antalya and those scheduled to return from Turkish resorts.

According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, Air Anka and TailWind violated the law by selling tickets for flights they were not authorized to operate. Rosaviatsia explained its position as follows: there is no capacity shortage on the Turkish route, and priority is given to Russian carriers. Among the companies that could potentially have empty seats were IrAero, Ural Airlines, and Aeroflot Group.

Following a meeting on May 29 between Vladimir Poteshkin, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, and Tanju Bilgic, Authorized Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Russia, tour operators will return tourists home with Turkish Airlines and Corendon flights by mid-June instead of Air Anka. By this time, the aviation authorities of Russia and Turkey must determine the remaining carriers with which the Russians will fly.

Market experts interviewed by ATOR Bulletin assert that finding solutions for all the flights «out of service» will be problematic. The capacity deficit to Antalya for the summer has reached 10%.

Tourism industry experts attribute this to the Russian aviation authorities' attempt to achieve parity between domestic and foreign carriers on the Turkish route.