The Russian Ministry of Transport has asked the country’s Foreign Ministry to consider launching flights from Simferopol, Crimea to Yerevan, Armenia, TASS reported on Friday, January 10 citing the press service of the Ministry of Transport.

"The Ministry of Transport has sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry with a request to consider the issue and send a note to Armenia should a positive decision be made," the press service said.

Earlier on Friday, the chairman of the Committee on Tourism, Resorts and Sports of the State Council of Crimea Aleksey Chernyak announced that the Federal Air Transport Agency has agreed to launch air service between Simferopol and Yerevan. According to him, flights can begin in the summer of 2020. However, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia and the country’s Civil Aviation Committee have said that no such flight is currently under consideration.

The Russian airline Ikar received permission from the Federal Air Transport Agency on December 16, 2019. The carrier is authorized to fly up to seven flights a week. However, the launch of flights also requires the permission of the aviation authorities of both Russia and Armenia.