Georgia has announced that it will not allow the flights of sanctioned Russian planes

The Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia informed that it will allow air connections with Russia only to Russian airlines and aircraft that have not been sanctioned.

"Georgiaʼs firm position is that flights between Georgia and the Russian Federation will be operated only by airlines and aircraft that have not been sanctioned. Accordingly, all applications submitted to the Civil Aviation Agency, information and documentation submitted by airlines will be subject to detailed study and verification by various sanctions mechanisms," says the message on the regulatorʼs website.

At the same time, the Georgian aviation agency conducts consultations and studies examples of countries that comply with sanctions and at the same time have direct air connections with Russia.

As of May 15, the department received applications from several airlines requesting regular air connections between Georgia and Russia.

• On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree and canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens from May 15, 2023, and also canceled the ban on air transportation from Russia to Georgia, which had been in effect since June 2019. The Ministry of Transport of Russia has already announced that the carriers are preparing to resume flights and plan to operate seven direct flights from Moscow to Tbilisi and back every week.
• Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called it a provocation and even convened the countryʼs Security Council. Instead, the Georgian government sees nothing wrong with resuming air traffic. They believe that this should be done for humanitarian reasons.
• The European Union reminded Georgia of the sanctions imposed against Russian aviation due to plans to resume flights with the Russian Federation and called on them to adhere to these restrictions. They also emphasized that Georgia should not allow Russian planes to arrive in the country due to security issues. He reminded that due to sanctions, the vast majority of the Russian air fleet cannot be modernized or repaired. This violates international safety standards.