The Gelendzhik regional airport on the Black Sea coast welcomed its first commercial flight on Friday, more than three years after it was shuttered due to airspace restrictions imposed in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

An Aeroflot Airbus A321 took off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Friday afternoon and touched down in Gelendzhik, located in the resort-heavy Krasnodar region, around 3:30 p.m. local time.

The arrival of the passenger plane was marked with pomp: a ceremonial water salute from fire trucks and a welcome committee of officials, cameras and reporters.

Videos shared by state media showed the gray aircraft gliding into the small coastal airport, which has been idle since early 2022, when Russia grounded civilian flights at airports near the warzone over safety concerns.