Transit flights to Europe will begin via Tbilisi. This was reported by RTVI with reference to Tamaz Gaiashvili, founder of Georgian Airways.
From June 15, flights are scheduled to Milan, Paris, Vienna, Cyprus Larnaca and Thessaloniki, Greece.
“We’ll see how this thing goes. But we think there will be enough demand on these routes. It will be more convenient and faster via Tbilisi than in other directions,” Gaiashvili told reporters.
According to him, the passenger flow between Russia and Georgia should recover over time. He also expressed his hope that communication will not be interrupted from now on.
“Naturally, we will continue air communication with Russia. Nothing will happen to it. The Georgian government welcomed this decision very warmly. May God grant it not to be interrupted again,” he said.
According to Aviasales, Georgian Georgian Airways has started selling tickets from Moscow to Paris and Vienna via Tbilisi:
Flights from Moscow to Vienna will be on Thursday and Sunday, the ticket will cost 50,4 thousand rubles one way. Planes will fly from Moscow to Paris on Friday and Tuesday, the ticket will cost 68,000 rubles one way.
In Russia, the flight ban to Georgia has been in effect since 2019 and was lifted on May 15, 2023. At the same time, the visa regime for Georgian citizens was abolished by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili later announced that she was boycotting Georgian Airways – the company decided to restart flights to Moscow. In response, Tamaz Gaiashvili said that Georgian Airways would no longer allow him to board the Georgian president’s planes.
“He won’t be with us anymore [Саломе Зурабишвили] fly. The company has taken such a decision and will continue to do so.”
Gaiashvili added that now demand for Georgia tickets has increased moderately. “I think it will take time to advertise so people know it exists, and then I think passengers will go,” he said.
According to the entrepreneur, passenger traffic should begin to increase, as people will start flying directly to Tbilisi, and not by transfer. “Everyone is slowly switching to direct flights,” Gaiashvili summed up.
The US State Department expressed concern about the resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia and threatened that Georgian companies could be subject to sanctions. The agency claims that “now is not the time to engage with Russia,” and many Western countries, including the United States, prohibit Russian planes from entering their airspace.
“We are concerned about the resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia. This could mean that Georgia airport companies may be under threat of sanctions,” he said.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili announced that she is boycotting Georgian Airways for resuming direct flights to Moscow. According to the head of state, the carrier is trying to get rich at the expense of the state. According to Zurabishvili, the airline is “ready to do anything for money”, which is confirmed by the “cheerful statements” of its management about the resumption of communication with the Russian Federation.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili commented on calls for the president and protesters to stop air traffic with Russia, suggesting that the opposition “want to worsen the situation of the people, not to think about the economy and trade”. According to Garibashvili, the current government acts in the national interest in its decisions, including the resumption of flights to the Russian Federation.
Source: Gazeta
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