Turkiye, Armenia resume direct flights in effort to mend ties

Flights between Turkiye and Armenia are set to resume with the first flight from Yerevan to Istanbul.

A FlyOne Armenia plane will land at Istanbul Airport at 1650GMT on Wednesday, while a Pegasus plane will take off from Sabiha Gokcen Airport at 2035GMT for Armenia.

Pegasus Airlines will operate flights between Istanbul and Yerevan thrice a week, according to Turkiye's Transport and Infrastructure Ministry.

On the Armenian side, FlyOne Armenia will also run three flights per week on the same route.

The Pegasus flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Yerevan will take place on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and from Yerevan to Istanbul on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Meanwhile, FlyOne will operate flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

In 2019, 61,431 passengers were transported between the two countries. The flight time takes two hours.

READ MORE: Turkiye, Armenia resume flights as normalisation looms

Strengthening relations

Residents of Yerevan spoke to Anadolu Agency about the flights which were operated by AtlasJet until 2020 but were stopped because of the company's bankruptcy.

Gagik Dorunts, underlining the need for peace in the region, said the flights will contribute to the strengthening of economic and political relations.

"It is good that there are flights between Turkiye and Armenia. When it comes to trade, it is possible to bring very high-quality goods from Turkiye. We want to see Armenian products in the shops in Turkiye," said Dorunts.

Arpi Maisuryan pointed out that flights are of great importance for the development of tourism and trade.

“There are many Armenians living in Istanbul. This is good for them, too, and I do not see it negatively that tourism develops to a certain extent,” said Maisuryan. 

READ MORE: Turkiye, Armenia hold first meeting in years to normalise ties