Sochi and Antalya launch year-round direct flights with Air Anka

Turkish Carrier Air Anka Launches Flights from Sochi

The inaugural flights of a new foreign airline took off on April 24.

Sochi's V.I. Sevastyanov International Airport, part of the Aerodynamika holding, has announced the launch of regular services by Turkish carrier Air Anka to Antalya, according to a statement from the airport's press service.

Today, the airline began its first scheduled flights from Sochi to Antalya, becoming the latest international carrier to operate from Russia's southern aviation hub. The maiden departure took off at 12:00 PM, heading to the popular Mediterranean resort.

Flights will run four times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays—using modern Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The first flight carried 188 passengers eager to relax on the Turkish coast.

In keeping with aviation tradition, the arrival of the new carrier was marked with a ceremonial water salute on the tarmac. The crew operating the Antalya–Sochi route received symbolic gifts as a gesture of hospitality and posed for photos beside the aircraft.

Flights between Sochi and Antalya operate year-round, with frequencies increasing to 40 per week during the peak summer season. In 2025, passenger traffic on this route reached 328,700 travelers.

Earlier reports indicated that Krasnodar Airport's spring-summer schedule includes services by 23 airlines across 26 destinations—13 domestic and 13 international. Sochi Airport will handle routes to 83 destinations, 30 of them international, while Gelendzhik Airport will host flights by seven carriers to 10 destinations.