Georgian Airways has declared Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili persona non grata. “Until she apologizes to the Georgian people, we will not let her on board,” said Tamaz Gaiashvili, director of the company, in an interview with the Imedi TV channel.
According to Gaiashvili, the president mistakenly believes that "by stopping the Georgian airline, it will destroy the Russian economy" and does not think about the interests of Georgia.
“What kind of democracy is this if the majority will act in accordance with the opinion of an aggressive minority? Democracy means the decision of issues by the majority, and acting to please the interests of the minority is called dictatorship.
The day before, on May 20, a Georgia Airlines aircraft made a flight to Russia for the first time since 2019. On the same day, Zurabishvili, during a briefing, called on fellow citizens to boycott the airline, promising that she herself would not use its services. The President called it unacceptable that a Georgian airline, which enjoys the support of the state, flies to a country that occupies 20% of the Georgian territory.
On May 10, Vladimir Putin abolished the visa regime for Georgian citizens and lifted the ban on direct flights between the countries. Several Russian airlines and one Georgian airline, Georgia Airlines, announced their intention to start flights between Moscow and Tbilisi. The Georgian government also allowed the resumption of air traffic.
The Georgian opposition, however, expressed dissatisfaction with what was happening, several rallies were held in Tbilisi against the resumption of air traffic. Zurabishvili called Putin's decision a provocation.