The Russian airline Azimut has received permission from the Georgian authorities to fly to this country, TASS reports with reference to the Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia. The permit is valid from 17 May. The company will be able to operate seven flights Moscow-Tbilisi and back a week.
The head of the agency, Givi Davitashvili, said in an interview with the Imedi TV channel that applications from five airlines are currently being considered for the right to operate flights between Georgia and Russia. Among them is one Georgian carrier – Georgian Airways.
“The firm position of Georgia is such that flights between Georgia and the Russian Federation will be operated only by airlines and aircraft that are not under sanctions. <…> A decision on each application submitted to the Civil Aviation Agency will be made after a detailed study of the current status of airlines and their aircraft, ”the agency said in an official statement.
Novosti-Georgia reports that the Association of Georgian Airports denied reports that the international airport in Kutaisi allegedly refused to receive flights from Russia. “Flights from all three international airports in Georgia will be operated only by those airlines and aircraft that are not included in the sanctions list,” the association stressed .
On May 10, Vladimir Putin canceled the visa regime for citizens of Georgia and allowed the resumption of direct flights with this country, which had been terminated in 2019. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called these decisions a "provocation" and demanded the introduction of visas for Russians. The country's government, however, supported the idea of resuming flights with Russia.
The US State Department, in turn, threatened to impose sanctions against Georgia if Georgian airlines begin to service Russian sanctioned aircraft.