Turkey, UAE, Qatar and other countries open to Russians

Against the background of the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia, 37 countries have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft. We tell you which countries Russians can still get to by air

Egypt

You can fly to Cairo from Moscow and St. Petersburg on the flights of Aeroflot, Egypt Air and Ural Airlines. Ticket prices start from 26 thousand rubles. depending on the date: towards the end of March – cheaper. You can fly to Hurghada on the same airlines as to Sharm el-Sheikh.

Turkey

From Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan to Istanbul, flights are operated by the Turkish airline Turkish Airlines, as well as the Russian Nordwind and Pobeda (only from Moscow). The cost of a ticket for the next flight to Istanbul for one adult starts from 49 thousand rubles, from Kazan – from 44 thousand, from St. Petersburg – from 40 thousand (data from the Aviasales service).

Tunisia

You can go to Tunisia from Moscow by flights of the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air with transfers in Paris and Budapest. It will take more than a day to fly. Or use the services of Turkish Airlines – then the travel time will be reduced from 33 hours to 15, but the ticket price will double.
The head of the Federal Agency for Tourism, Zarina Doguzova, after negotiations with colleagues from the ministries of tourism of Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey, assured that tourist contacts between the countries are maintained. Moreover, the Tunisian authorities hope to increase the tourist flow from Russia in the summer season.

UAE

Emirates, one of the most sought-after destinations in 2021, remains so now. Planes from Moscow and St. Petersburg fly to Dubai, where the Expo 2020 world exhibition continues until March 31, daily. In addition, since the end of February, the UAE has relaxed safety rules for coronavirus — Russians vaccinated with Sputnik V are accepted in the country without PCR tests. The mandatory wearing of masks on the street has been abolished. Unvaccinated tourists are asked to take a PCR test 48 hours before departure or present a certificate stating that the passenger has recovered from the coronavirus.
From Moscow and St. Petersburg to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, passengers are delivered by Emirates, Aeroflot, Nordwind and Etihad. Ticket prices vary depending on the carrier, date of departure and route.

Qatar

Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, Wizz Air and Smartavia operate flights to Doha from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Qatar is a new destination for Russian tourists, the interest in which the Association of Tour Operators noted back in mid-February. In November, Doha, which was a desert 30 years ago, will host the World Cup.

Israel

Flights of Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Greek Aegean Airlines depart from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Tel Aviv at a cost of 17–20 thousand rubles. and more for a one-way ticket. With regard to coronavirus restrictions, since March 1, the Israeli authorities have opened the borders to unvaccinated tourists, subject to passing two PCR tests with a negative result.

Serbia

Serbia today is the only European country that has not yet closed the sky for Russian aircraft. Until the end of March, the price tag for air tickets here is increased. For example, a ticket for a direct flight on March 24 with Air Serbia will cost 15-30 thousand rubles. At the same time, from March 14, the Russian operational headquarters ordered to increase the number of regular flights to Serbia. Under the current conditions, you will have to fly to Belgrade with a transfer in Istanbul.

Armenia

On March 1, the Armenian airline FlyOne Armenia launched regular flights on the Moscow-Yerevan-Moscow route from Vnukovo airport to Yerevan Zvartnots. You can fly twice a week – on Mondays and Fridays. Also, S7, UTair, Azimut, Nordwind, Pobeda and Aeroflot flights depart from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Azerbaijan

Aeroflot and Azerbaijan Airlines, as well as Nordwind and Pobeda regularly fly to Baku from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The ticket price is 7-8 thousand rubles. You can also get to Azerbaijan “by land”, the borders for Russian tourists are open. To travel, you will need a vaccination document or a certificate of recovery from coronavirus with a negative PCR test, Tutu.ru reports.

Kazakhstan

Air Astana operates regular flights from Moscow to Almaty and Nur-Sultan. A one-way ticket costs from 17 thousand rubles. Also planes of Qazaq Air, S7 and Ural Airlines depart to Kazakhstan.

Kyrgyzstan

Aeroflot, as well as Ural Airlines, Avia Traffic Company and Smartavia fly from Moscow to Bishkek and Osh. Ticket prices start from 8 thousand rubles.

Uzbekistan

You can fly to Tashkent and Samarkand from Moscow airports with Uzbekistan Airways, Red Wings, Ural Airlines, Aeroflot, Pobeda. Regular flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Ticket prices vary from 10 to 15 thousand rubles.

Source: style.rbc.ru