Georgia may soon become a transit hub for travellers from Russia flying to European countries, a recent report of the RBC business daily has predicted.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, authorities in European countries imposed harsh sanctions, among them airspace bans on Russian flights and aircraft.
Soon after, authorities in Russia also banned flights from EU countries from using its airspace as a response to the bloc’s decision, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The measures introduced by Moscow and Brussels led both territories’ citizens to travel through other cities such as Istanbul, Dubai, Belgrade and Yerevan, among others.
The part-owner of Azimuth Airlines and Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, Vitaly Vantsev, told RBC that work was underway at Tbilisi International Airport in the Georgian capital in order to create a transit hub for people travelling from Russia to Europe.
“Our partners from Georgian Airways are providing good offers for Russian passengers in terms of transit, open flights to Europe — to Paris, Nice and Rome, where direct flights are now closed,” Vantsev pointed out.
In May this year, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, abolished a ban imposed on direct air travel with Georgia imposed back in 2019 following anti-Russian rallies in Georgia.
Putin’s decision was deeply regretted by the EU. Besides, the Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, Peter Stano, said that Georgia’s latest decision raises concerns in terms of its European Union path and commitment in order to align with the bloc decisions in the foreign policy as foreseen in the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.
Recently, both Azimuth Airlines, as well as Georgian Airways resumed flights between Russia and Georgia, while Georgian Airways, back in May, announced that it would launch transit flights from Russia to European countries, with destinations cities such as Milan, Vienna, Paris, Thessaloniki, and Larnaca, among others.
“Together with Georgian Airways, we are trying to bring together [this hub] so that it is as convenient as possible for our passengers, so that the connection is short, about an hour to an hour-and-a-half,” Vantsev pointed out.
While denouncing Putin’s decision to abolish visa requirements for Georgian nationals, including the ban imposed in 2019, the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, considered it a provocation.
“Another Russian provocation! Resuming direct flights and lifting the visa ban with Georgia is unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression on Ukraine and occupies our territory,” Zourabichvili pointed out back then.
The resumption of flights with Russia sparked controversies and protests in Georgia, which is an EU Candidate country.