• Russian negotiators asked the US to consider restoring direct flights between the two countries.
• The aviation industry was shaken up by air space bans after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
• Emirates and Turkish Airlines are among the carriers that continued flying to Russia after the invasion.

Russia is growing tired of not being able to fly directly to the US.

During a meeting in Istanbul, Russian negotiators asked the US to consider restoring direct air service between the two countries, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

Air links were singled out by the ministry as a way of improving relations between the two powers.

The statement also said that both sides "meticulously explored avenues to overcome numerous irritants inherited from previous US administrations."

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the US, Canada, and most of Europe banned Russian aircraft from their airspace.

The move shook up the aviation industry as Russia retaliated by similarly barring North American and European airlines.

Aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus also stopped doing business with Russia.

This meant some customers, such as Air India, benefited as they received aircraft previously set to be delivered to Russian airlines.

Meanwhile, Russian carriers were left scrambling for spare parts — going as far as cannibalizing older jets or relying on the black market.

Aeroflot, Russia's flag carrier, still carries tens of millions of passengers a year.

Istanbul is the most popular international destination from Moscow, with more than 133,000 seats scheduled on such flights this month, according to data from Cirium.

Turkish Airlines' Airbus A330s are scheduled to fly back and forth six times a day.

The top 10 routes also include flights to the Turkish capital operated by Aeroflot and budget carrier Pegasus Airlines.

Istanbul is closely followed by Dubai, which also has more than 100,000 seats scheduled on flights out of Moscow this month.

While Emirates offers half as many flights as Turkish Airlines between its hub and Moscow, the Dubai-based carrier uses the far bigger Airbus A380.

Qatar Airways also operates one flight a day, equal to nearly 11,000 seats this month.

These airlines operate hub-and-spoke models — taking advantage of their geography as a stopover point to link cities around the world. They would be the main options for Russians to fly to the US, or vice-versa.

Two of Aeroflot's highest-capacity international routes are to Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand — both popular tourist destinations.

Tens of thousands of seats are also scheduled from Moscow to Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada this month.

Many flights also operate to the capitals of former Soviet republics, such as Yerevan, Armenia; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

Minsk and Beijing also feature in the top 10 cities by number of seats scheduled for this month.