Russia may suspend charter flights to Turkey...again

Russia’ state regulatory commission has warned national airlines they may have to stop implementing charter flights to Turkey, the news agency Interfax reports.

The warning letter sent to the airlines did not explain what had caused the commission to make the decision. Russian TV company Dozhd cited a source as having said an “escalated political situation” was the reason.

An official from the Russian transport ministry confirmed that ‘a ban was possible, and the airlines must be ready [to stop flying to Turkey] should it be put in place.’

Some of the media speculates that the decision may have something to do with the Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s statement on 8 April, when he called on Russia to stop supporting the president of Syria, Bashar Assad, and said Russia was not doing enough to ensure a proper observation of ceasefire by the Syrian government and armed forces.

Flights between Russia and Turkey have been cut off before. It happened in late 2015, after a Turkish jet fighter took down a Russian Su-24 bomber near the Syrian border. The flights resumed after Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan had apologized to his Russian counterpart.