Tour prices to Turkey to drop after charter flights from Russia resume: Tour operators

MOSCOW

AFP photo

The average cost of travel packages to Turkey may go down by 20-30 percent after charter flights from Russia to the country are launched, the executive director of Russia’s Association of Tour Operators (ATOR), said July 4, as quoted by Russia’s TASS.

“According to preliminary estimates current prices will decrease by 20-30 percent,” Maya Lomidze said.

Flights to Turkey are expected to be launched on July 7.

“A charter flight application for a total of 17 flights from Russia to Turkey on July 7 has been approved,” the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM) said in a tweet, as reported by Reuters on July 4.

All scheduled and charter slights into Turkey as well as over the country are approved by the SHGM.

Russian President Vladimir Putin officially lifted restrictions on tourism in Turkey after mending ties with Ankara over its downing of one of Moscow’s warplanes in November 2014.

Putin signed a decree on June 30 lifting a ban on the sale of package tours in Turkey and ordered the government to permit charter flights to start flying to the country again.