Rosaviation, Russia's aviation watchdog, has granted Chechen airline Grozny Avia permission to conduct nonstop flights from the Crimean city of Simferopol to the Armenian capital of Yerevan and Turkish cities of Istanbul and Antalya, Interfax reported Tuesday.
The Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in March.
"We have plans to link Simferopol to Ataturk Airport [in Istanbul] because it is a large international hub," Sergei Petrov, the commercial director of Grozny Avia, said in comments carried by Interfax.
The airline conducted a test flight from Simferopol to Istanbul on July 21 and regular flights along the route are set to begin in August.
