Applications for Direct Flights Under Review Following Putin's Decree, Says Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
After the government session, Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili provided an update during a briefing concerning the flights from Russia. He reiterated that the decision to cancel the flights was made unilaterally by Russia and emphasized that the Georgian government had no involvement in this decision.
Davitashvili stated that following Putin's decree on the resumption of direct flights, Georgia has already received several applications from both Russian and Georgian airlines by the end of last week. He mentioned that they have received applications from three airlines, but the documentation is currently under review.
"..now let's discuss our choices and actions. After the decision was made last week, we received inquiries from both Russian and Georgian airlines. We engaged in an intensive collaboration with internal experts, as well as experts from the Ministry and the Civil Aviation Agency, to analyze the existing practices regarding flights with Russia.
We have adopted the most stringent approach worldwide, which countries follow when conducting flights with Russia. Our decision is based on multiple criteria:
Firstly, we will not permit sanctioned companies, specifically those listed by the European Union (EU).
Secondly, our primary objective is to ensure flight safety, so our decision must align with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements. Consequently, aircraft lacking access to technical information and qualified repair and service facilities cannot operate in Georgian airspace. On the other hand, we will allow companies that meet these requirements to resume their flights," stated Davitashvili.
The Economy Minister stated that the applications received will be thoroughly examined within the day to assess the extent to which each company complies with the two criteria established by them. Subsequently, information regarding the issuance of flight permissions will be disseminated.
