On May 8, Turkish Airlines cancelled a total of 20 flights to Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman and Istanbul from Vnukovo Airport. Pegasus Airlines operates 4 flights from the same airport to Antalya, Istanbul and Bodrum. Also, 7 flights to Antalya and Istanbul were canceled from St. Petersburg.
Turkish Airlines has only one active flight to Istanbul, while Pegasus Airlines has one flight to Antalya and one to Istanbul, but they are likely to be canceled as well. As of May 9, 8 Turkish Airlines night flights to Istanbul and Antalya are listed as cancelled at Vnukovo (while there are also active flights to Istanbul), while Pegasus Airlines has not yet been canceled.
According to a number of sources, the flights of both companies on May 8 and 9 may not take place, but tour operators are still waiting for complete and reliable information from both airlines at noon on May 8.
Tour operators are currently solving the problem in an emergency mode.
According to aggregated information from market participants, the flight cancellation situation will affect more than 15,000 people (including flights whose scheduled departure time has not yet arrived).
At the moment, more than 1,500 people from cancelled flights to Russia are accommodated in hotels with meals provided by tour operators in Antalya, and the issue of accommodation in Dalaman is being resolved. During the day, the number of tourists who have to fly to Russia will grow significantly.
Tour operators operate in two ways: some tourists will be accommodated in hotels in Turkey while waiting for their departure, and some will be transferred to other flights if possible (but there are critically few empty containers).
- All tourists who have cancelled flights from Turkey must Stay in touch with your hotel guide – he is the first to receive information about departures and accommodation options.
"Representatives of the host company are in touch with all tourists at the resorts. The situation is under the control of management and operational departments. Tourists who stay in the resorts of Turkey will be extended their stay in a booked or alternative hotel. Changes are already being made to the applications. Information on new flights will be provided through hotel guides as it becomes available," the press service of the Anex tour operator informed.
"We are waiting for information from the airlines. For those who were supposed to fly out of Turkey, we will prolong their hotel stays," Intourist said.
- Tourists who are in Russia need to be in touch with their travel agent, he will have all the necessary information.
"We are currently in continuous communication with airlines and are looking for options. Tourists from Turkey will be taken out in any case, they will be accommodated in hotels while waiting for the flight. We are doing everything possible to ensure that tours to Turkey take place due to the temporary cancellation of the Turkish airlines program - tourists will either be transferred to other flights, or they will be offered a change of dates with recalculation of the tour cost, and in case of complete impossibility of organizing a planned trip, a refund or transfer of funds to an application in another direction," they said.
"Tourists of cancelled flights will be offered alternatives for departure in the near future, we are working on finding flight options. It is necessary to keep in touch with your travel agent to receive timely information about possible changes in the tour. Updated information will be provided as it becomes available. Please remain calm, we are taking all possible measures to resolve the situation as soon as possible," Anex confirmed.
The editors of the ATOR Bulletin are monitoring the situation and will continue to inform tourists about important changes.
Please note that this press release is based on materials provided by the company. AK&M Information Agency shall not be held liable for its contents, nor for the legal and other consequences of its publication.
