It has been revealed by Southwind Airlines that flights between Antalya & Kaliningrad have been cancelled following the ban imposed on the airline by the EU.
The ban took place on March 29, which initially caused this flight to be cancelled.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Antalya-Kaliningrad Flights Cancelled…
It is understood the news about Antalya and Kaliningrad flights being cancelled came from Turizm Guncel via Interfax.
On March 29, 500 of Southwind Airlines’ passengers were stuck at the Turkish airport overnight due to the EU ban being imposed on the airline.
Furthermore, it is understood the passengers were allowed to fly to Moscow the next day.
This is due to Moscow being accessible via Russian airspace, as opposed to Kaliningrad requiring travel through EU countries.
Southwind Airlines has been banned from the EU following suspected close links to Russia.
The airline was only founded in April 2022, and is under the Turkish register.
However, with the concerns of the increase in flights from Turkey-based destinations like Antalya, this has caused alarm with the West.
Strategy: Use Other Airlines?
Within the report, it has been revealed that tour operators such as PEGAS Touristik and Coral Travel will switch airlines.
This will represent a blow to Southwind Airlines, with PEGAS Touristik and Coral Travel to use Azur Air instead.
Furthermore, all it will take is for the EU to find evidence on Azur Air before the same thing happens again.
That being said, all Southwind Airlines flights between Antalya & Kaliningrad will be cancelled, with refunds on offer.
Another alternative for passengers is that they can travel via Moscow with Azur Air instead.
Overall…
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on the response from this EU ban on Southwind Airlines.
The Turkish carrier was expected to operate more flights into Europe this year, with this now scuppered.
If links between Russia & Turkey have been too close, all eyes will be on the Turkish government to see what they do following this news.
But for now, let’s see what happens over the course of this year with the debacle involving Southwind Airlines.
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