Russia’s civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia announced on Friday that it was lifting most restrictions on civilian flights over the Middle East following three days of calm under a U.S.-led ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Rosaviatsia imposed the restrictions on June 13 after Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran. It halted flights to Israel and Iran and restricted access to airspace over Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran.
The civil aviation agency expanded those restrictions on Tuesday to include Qatar after Iran retaliated for U.S. bombings on its nuclear sites by firing rockets at an American military base outside the capital Doha.
Iran, which closed its airspace last week, partially reopened its eastern skies on Wednesday and was set to fully reopen its airspace by Friday afternoon.
Under Rosaviatsia’s latest directive, Russian aircraft may now enter airspace over Iraq, Iran and Jordan. Restrictions on Qatar ended on Thursday.
On Friday, a Mahan Air flight from Mashhad in northeastern Iran landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and returned the same day, according to RBC.
Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot has resumed ticket sales for Tehran-bound flights, with service set to resume on July 4. Air Arabia, based in the United Arab Emirates, also resumed ticket sales for Russia-Iran routes starting Friday, according to Russia’s Association of Tour Operators.
However, Rosaviatsia maintained a limited flight ban to Israel between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Moscow time until July 12.
“The agency’s specialists continue monitoring air transportation operations in the region. Updates will be promptly communicated to airlines if the situation changes,” it said.
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