Russian women removed from Bahrain-bound Turkish flight

ISTANBUL

DHA Photo

Two female Russian passengers were removed from a Turkish Airlines (THY) flight to Bahrain at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul on the night of Jan. 10 after complaints about their behavior on board the aircraft, the state-run Anadolu Agency has reported, citing Turkish security sources.  

Other passengers on national carrier THY’s flight number TK778 complained about the behavior of the Russian women, who continued to allegedly misbehave despite warnings from the cabin crew, according to the sources
Police officers on duty at the airport arrived at the scene and removed them from the plane.    
 
The women are expected to be sent back to Moscow soon, the police said.      

Tensions between Moscow and Ankara have been high since a Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian warplane on Nov. 24, 2015, near the Turkey-Syria border after it violated the country’s airspace.    
 
Since then Russia has announced a number of sanctions against Turkey and unilaterally suspended its visa exemption rule for Turkish citizens as of Jan. 1.