All news

Foreign air carriers to fly to Russian airports on reciprocity basis

The airport of Vladivostok had introduced Russia’s unprecedented 'open sky' regimen

MOSCOW, November 8 (Itar-Tass) —— Foreign air carriers will be making flights to Russian airports on the basis of reciprocity, the Russian Transport Ministry has told Itar-Tass.

The ministry explained that foreign airlines, before they can start flights to Russia, are expected to contact their own aviation authorities, which, for their part, are to approach the Russian Transport Ministry with a proposal for making amendments to the agreement on air links between the two countries.

The Russian Transport Ministry said that such flights shall be allowed only on the condition of reciprocity. In other words, if a foreign air carrier is allowed to make flights to a Russian airport, a Russian airline is expected to obtain a reciprocal permission to fly to one of the airports of that country.

Earlier, the daily Kommersant said that the airport of Vladivostok had introduced Russia’s unprecedented 'open sky' regimen, and that any foreign air carrier was free to make any number of flights there irrespective of the agreements on its country’s air links with Russia. This would be of interest to Chinese airlines first and foremost.