Georgian Civil Aviation Agency granted permission to the Russian airline Azimuth to perform direct flights to Tbilisi from Moscow, announced the director of the agency, Givi Davitashvili.
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On the air of Imedi TV, Davitashvili stated that as of today, five airlines have applied to the Civil Aviation Agency requesting permission to conduct direct flights between Russia and Georgia, among which is Georgian Airways.
“The review of one of the applications, Azimuth Airlines, is already complete, and they will be able to commence flights from May 17. The said permission was passed today by the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency and the first flight is scheduled for May 17. These are charter flights,” said Davitashvili.
Azimuth will perform 7 flights a week. According to the Director of the Civil Aviation Agency, flights will be directed from Moscow for now, in accordance with the current clearance, although Russian airlines are asking for flights from other parts of Russia as well headed for Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi international airports.
“We analyzed the examples of all countries where Russian airlines conduct flights and that also fly to Russia. We have made a firm decision not to allow any airline sanctioned under Europe’s blacklist or any aircraft with discontinued maintenance services from its manufacturer into Georgian airspace. These are certain criteria in the permission application an airline needs to tick in order to receive clearance to fly to Georgia. Agency specialists study the paperwork and we are in talks and coordination with our partner states regarding every application. All this takes time,” stated Givi Davitashvili.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree ordering the renewal of flights, which had been suspended four years prior, on May 10, 2023. On top of renewed flights, a visa policy in effect since 2000 has been canceled and Georgian citizens will be able to enter Russian territory without a visa from May 15.
The European Commission urges Georgia, aspiring to become an EU candidate country, to align with the EU in its sanctions against Russia, including in the aviation sector, and be alert to any possible attempts to circumvent them. The press speaker of the Commission on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Peter Stano, warned that Georgia should not allow unsafe Russian aircraft into its territory, stating that 95% of the Russian airline fleet is unable to maintain and upgrade their planes, which is essential to maintain the necessary international technical and safety standards.
The United States warned those companies operating in Georgian airports that serve the sanctioned Russian planes about possible sanctioning.
A public protest against the renewal of flights will be held today, May 15, outside the parliament building.
