Turkey’s Pegasus resumes Russia flights after visa problems resolved

ISTANBUL - Reuters

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Low-cost carrier Pegasus has announced that it has restarted flights to Russia after a visa problem for its flight crews was resolved.The company halted flights on Jan. 4 until Jan. 13 after it failed to get a positive response from Russia to visa applications for its crew members.“The visa problem for our crews in Russian flights has now been resolved thanks to close cooperation and coordination by the Turkish Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Russian Embassy in Ankara,” said the company in a written statement on Jan. 15.The company noted that the Russia flights, which were halted on Jan. 4, restarted on Jan. 15.Pegasus has direct flights to Moscow and Krasnodar in Russia from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport.Since Turkey downed a Russian jet on Nov. 24, 2015, Moscow imposed a raft of economic and trade sanctions against Turkey and terminated visa-free travel between the countries starting on Jan. 1.