Starting from June 28, Russia formally resumes flights with the United States, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Jordan, Ireland, Cyprus, and North Macedonia on a reciprocal basis. Air traffic with these countries was suspended in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was made by the operational headquarters for the fight against coronavirus on June 18. At the same time, the number of quotas for flights to a number of countries is expanding.
This decision of the headquarters means that airlines may resume flights to these countries. At the moment, airlines have announced they were ready to resume flights only to Italy, Bulgaria, and Cyprus.
The operational headquarters has agreed to open flights from Moscow to Washington and New York twice a week (that is, both the Russian carrier and the foreign one will be able to operate two flights each). Flights from Moscow to Brussels (four times a week), from Moscow to Dublin (two flights), from Moscow to Rome and Milan (two flights), from Moscow to Venice and Naples (four flights), from Moscow to Larnaca (four flights), from Moscow to Paphos (three flights). The headquarters also approved resumption of flights between Russia and Bulgaria: Sofia, Varna, Burgas are open for flights both from Moscow and from the regions (from Moscow - four flights a week, from regions - one).
For the time being, carriers are in no hurry to actively borrow the granted quotas. At the moment, Aeroflot announced plans to open flights from Moscow to Sofia and Burgas in July, it is planned to operate four flights a week.
Also, the operational headquarters agreed to increase flights to Vienna, Azerbaijan, Yerevan, Qatar, Belgrade, Helsinki, Zurich. Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, Geneva are also open for flights. Most of all, the quota for flights to Greece has been expanded. In addition to increasing the frequency of flights from Moscow to Athens, the headquarters opened flights from Moscow and the regions to Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Corfu, and Rhodes.
