Georgia Says Flight Ban Has No Legal Ground

Georgian officials said on October 3 that despite Russia?s embargo, Tbilisi will not create any obstacles for Russian airlines operating flights over Georgia.

?Russian companies use Georgian airspace? We are not making any obstacles for them, let them fly,? Giorgi Karbelashvili, Chief of the Air Navigation Department, said at a news conference.

He said that the Russian Sibir airline conducted a number of flights over Georgia between the Russian southern cities and Yerevan in Armenia after the sanctions were imposed against Georgia.

Giorgi Mzhavanadze, chief of the Georgian Civil Aviation Department, said that there is no legal ground for suspending Georgian airline flights to Russia.

?All three companies have the proper papers and licenses,? he said at a news conference on October 3.

?Today we received a notification from [Russia?s] Aeroflot company saying that they are canceling [Moscow-Tbilisi] flights scheduled for October 3-4 following a recommendation by Russia?s civil aviation agency,? he added.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)