The company already flies between Turkey and Russia, and the first flight took off from Istanbul to Minsk in Belarus on Saturday morning, according to Yle.
Tickets are 200 euros
A ticket with the low-cost airline between Turkey and Belarus is said to cost around 200 euros. The route is two hours shorter than Belarusian state-owned airline Belavias, which is subject to EU sanctions and is forced to fly in an arc over Russia.
Bild has learned that Southwind is headquartered in Turkey, but uses three Russian aircraft and Russian personnel, and is owned by the Russian company Pegas Touristik.
Polish security authorities have warned of “a new, organized flow of refugees through Russia and Belarus,” and the new road is said to be part of the process, according to the newspaper.
Permission may be denied
Finland has already closed all crossings on its land border with Russia due to the unusually large influx of asylum seekers from there. The authorities believe that the Russian regime is behind this, in an attempt to increase the load on NATO's external borders.
Finland believes it should not worry about the airline, but rather be prepared Arkady MosheRussia expert at the Foreign Policy Institute in Finland.
It is uncertain whether Southwind will receive permission to operate in Finland, the Swedish Transport and Communications Agency told Finnish media.
“Falls down a lot. Internet fanatic. Proud analyst. Creator. Wannabe music lover. Introvert. Tv aficionado.”
More Stories
Russia used its veto power to ban weapons in space
Trump may have to share a cell with his bodyguard
The first city in the world to charge an entrance fee