
Russia plans to resume some international flights from August. 1, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Friday, but the list of destinations will initially be limited to Tanzania, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
International flights were grounded on March 30 after the imposition of lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 800,000 people in Russia.
Specifically, she said flights would resume to and from London, Turkish cities Istanbul and Ankara and the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania from August. 1. More holiday destinations in Turkey would be added from August. 10, Golikova added.
“Foreigners arriving in Russia will need to present negative coronavirus test results taken within the past 72 hours to be allowed entry,” she added.
Russia has not yet reopened its borders to all foreigners.
Speaking on state television, she added that authorities were working on a list of more countries where air travel could be resumed on a mutual basis.
Russia grounded nearly all international flights in late March to slow the coronavirus outbreak, allowing only special flights evacuating Russians from abroad and other flights authorized by the government.
Russia confirmed 5,811 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 800,849.
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Russia will officially be reopening its borders for international tourism beginning on July 15th according to a new government decree.
Russia will no longer require foreigners to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival as the country looks to begin reopening to international tourism.
Those arriving in Russia will need to present English or Russian-language proof that they have tested negative for the coronavirus in the past 72 hours to be allowed entry.
Interfax has published a list of thirteen countries with which Russia could resume flights in the near future. In addition to China and Vietnam, the list includes seven European countries – such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy.
The Czech Republic is not mentioned in the list, yet. However, Aeroflot and its subsidiary Rossija have been offering two-way flights between Prague and Moscow since August 1.
According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Golikova, the government will evaluate the epidemiological situation in individual countries every two weeks. The main criterion will be the number of infected: it should not exceed 40 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The average daily increase in the number of people infected and the rate of spread of the disease in such states should not exceed one percent.
According to Golikova, reopening of flight routes would be based on the principle of reciprocity, ie to countries that already allow Russian citizens to enter (for example, Croatia).
Russia fully closed air service with other countries, except flights to bring back Russian nationals, freight and mail carriage flights, at the end of March on the back of the coronavirus pandemic. Regular and charter international flights have been fully suspended since March 27.
The epidemiological situation in Russia is gradually improving.
Russia confirmed 6,422 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 746,369. Over the past 24 hours, 156 people have died, bringing the total toll to 11,770 — a rate considerably lower than in many other countries hit hard by the pandemic.
A total of 10,424 people recovered over the last 24 hours, bringing the overall number of recoveries to 523,249.
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The Polish-Czech border in Silesia province, southern Poland, fully reopened on Tuesday, June 30, and travelers will no longer be required to submit current coronavirus, the Czech Health Ministry said on Monday.
Earlier, people travelling to the Czech Republic from Silesia had to provide negative coronavirus tests, not older than four days, or, if positive, they were put under quarantine.
The Czech services demanded, from persons crossing the border, evidence that they had not stayed in the Silesia province and were only passing through in transit. These restrictions and border controls will expire on Tuesday.
The Czech Republic restored normal border traffic and lifted border control on internal borders of the Schengen zone in mid-June but this decision had not applied to all areas.
Poland’s Silesia was recognized as an area with a high epidemic threat and was not covered by the June 15 decision.
A total of 17 airlines have already announced their intention to resume direct flights from Prague Airport.
Specifically, 55 destinations have been listed, ten of which are already in operation. This week, direct flights to seven other destinations will be resumed, namely to Belgrade, Brussels, Budapest, Košice, Keflavik, Manchester and Munich.
Thanks to intensive negotiations between Prague Airport and airlines, the list of destinations could expand further in the coming weeks.
“Thanks to our intensive negotiations with airlines, Prague Airport is gradually succeeding in resuming direct flights. At the moment we have confirmed a total of 55 destinations. Airlines are returning to their routes from Prague in line with the relaxation of traveling measures and, above all, in response to the demand for flying shown by passengers. It is this demand that will be key to the success of the resumed air connections in the coming weeks and months,” says Václav Řehoř, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors.
“Our main goal is to resume direct scheduled air connections to key destinations, which are major European cities used as important transfer hubs. These include, for example, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and Vienna. In total, we have selected 45 such destinations and have received a confirmation of resumed flights already to 24 these destinations, which represent more than half of them,” Vaclav Rehor added.
Latvian airline airBaltic plans to resume direct flights from Prague to Riga on July 27 and the low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced a new direct scheduled connection between Prague and Varna.
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Many protective measures have been set up at Prague Airport in co-operation with public health authorities for several months. Departures and arrivals take place under strict hygienic conditions, which are to ensure the health and safety of passengers.
All passengers and visitors must wear face masks in all areas of the airport, keep a safe distance from other people, wash their hands frequently and thoroughly, and use hand sanitizers.
Here you can find the list of updated routes
Latvian airline airBaltic plans to resume direct flights from Prague to Riga on July 27. The flights will be performed five times weekly on an Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic: “The safety and health of our passengers is our top priority. We have introduced strong safety measures and our new flight operations follow the recommendations issued by authorities. All passengers on board of airBaltic aircraft are provided with a complimentary basic care kit consisting of a protective face mask and disinfection wipes.”
airBaltic is in close cooperation with the authorities to monitor the situation and is flexible to adjust the flight schedule if needed. Passengers are strongly suggested to check the travel regulations and airport restrictions on official websites or with local embassies before traveling.
Regulations are changing rapidly and vary per country, therefore always make sure you have the latest information to have a smooth journey.
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Many protective measures have been set up also at Václav Havel Airport Prague in co-operation with public health authorities for several months. Departures and arrivals take place under strict hygienic conditions, which are to ensure the health and safety of passengers.
All passengers and visitors must wear facemasks in all areas of Prague Airport, keep a safe distance from other people, wash their hands frequently and thoroughly and use hand sanitizers.
Full schedule and tickets for the flights are available on the airBaltic website. In addition, a temporary offer for all new airBaltic reservations made by June 30, 2020, is available, offering passengers to rebook them without an additional fee to a new date. Only one date change is permitted.
To read more about the new airBaltic health measures, please visit airBaltic website