The first charter flight carrying 189 Russian tourists from Moscow to Turkey landed in Antalya city on Saturday after seven months of sanctions imposed by Russia, which banned travel agencies from selling tour packages to Turkey.
The plane operated by Russia's state-owned Rossiya Airlines landed at the airport of Antalya, Efe news reported.
The landing ends bilateral tensions that have severely affected the tourism sector throughout Turkey, where Russian tourists have made up the second largest group after Germans in recent years, with 4 million visitors in 2015.
Moscow had previously banned travel agencies from selling tour packages to Turkey after Ankara shot down a Russian fighter on the Syrian-Turkish border in November 2015 and refused to apologise, although individual tourism continued.
The apology offered in late June by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thawed relations, so Moscow announced on July 7 the lifting of the tourism sanctions.
--IANS
ask/lok/bg
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app