Rosaviatsiya Allows Russian S7 Airlines to Fly from Moscow to Kutaisi
The Federal Air Transport Agency, also known as Rosaviatsiya, allowed Russian S7 Airlines to operate flights between Moscow and Kutaisi, Russian media reports, quoting information posted on the website of the Federal Air Transport Agency.
According to the decree, the airline is issued permission to operate the Moscow-Kutaisi flights with a frequency of 7 times a week.
Reportedly, S7 representatives do not yet have information about the planned flights.
The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava has responded to the possibility of resuming flights between the two countries.
“I cannot confirm the reports that direct flights have been restored between Georgia and Russia. You know my attitude towards this issue. We have repeatedly said that we would welcome the restoration of direct flights between Georgia and Russia. The information was released citing the Russian media. It does not mean that direct flights have been restored. There are a number of formal procedures for this, and our Air Administration has not received any notification that flights have been restored. Therefore, I cannot confirm that this is a resumption of flights, but I am reiterating that we would welcome such a decision,” she said after the Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
S7 Airlines (Siberia Airlines) is a Russian airline that ranks second in the country in terms of the number of passengers carried. The headquarters is located in the small town of Ob (Novosibirsk Region), near the Tolmachevo Novosibirsk International Airport.
At the end of June 2019, Vladimir Putin signed a decree banning airlines transporting Russian citizens to Georgia from July 8, following large-scale protests against Duma Deputy Sergey Gavrilov in June.
By Ana Dumbadze
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