An Antonov An-30B aircraft belonging to the Russian Air Force (RAF) will conduct an observation flight between February 27th and March 3rd in Turkish skies, under the 'Open Skies Treaty'. Russian military planes will fly in Turkey for the first time after the shooting of RAF's Sukhoi Su-24M aircraft on 24 November 2015.

Sergey Rijkov, President of Russia's National Center for Nuclear Risk Reduction, announced that Russian experts will begin their observation flight today. The maximum range of the observation flight of Russian Antonov An-30B aircraft will be one thousand 9 hundred kilometers. The plane will take off from Eskisehir Airport for the inspection to take place between February 27th and March 3rd. During the flight, Turkish experts will also be on the plane. Rijkov said the two sides agreed on the route to be followed. Under the Open Skies Treaty, which put into effect as of 2002, member states are able to carry out unarmed observation flights of each others air space.

Russia wanted to fly in Turkey in February 2016 under the Open Skies Treaty, but Turkey declined the request on the grounds that it would be close to syrian border.