An official from the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ministry, which governs Turkey's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), told Daily Sabah that suspension of charters from Russia to Turkey is not on the agenda of either country.

The official also added that the possible suspension was mentioned by tour operators in Russia and is not an official decision taken by the government.

On Monday, news reports claimed that the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency told airlines that it may suspend charter flights to Turkey due to the "difficult political situation." Yet, Daily Sabah has learned from the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ministry that the issue has not been discussed by Turkey and Russia, hence it does not occupy the current agenda of the trade relations of the two countries.

Previously Russia suspended charter flights with Turkey in late October 2015, following the jet crisis that broke out between Turkey and Russia. However, in August 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid an official visit to Moscow that launched the normalization of ties between the two countries.

The normalization of relations was crowned with President Erdoğan's last visit to Russia on March 10. On Aug. 28, 2016, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree lifting the ban on charter air services between Russia and Turkey.

Moreover, the Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov also declined to comment on the question of whether Russia will suspend charter flights to Turkey, stating that it is a matter for the Russian government and Russian Federal Air Transport Agency.