Tbilisi-Moscow air traveller numbers double

The number of travellers going between Georgia and Russia is on an upward trend.

Georgia's Ministry of Economy noted the number of air travellers between Georgia and its largest neighbour had increased by 65 percent in January-May 2015 compared to the same time of 2014.

Looking ahead, Georgia expected more passengers to travel on the Tbilisi-Moscow route.

In the first five months of this year, airline companies from both countries transported 87,367 passengers. This number was a significant increase on the 53,091 passengers transported in the first five months of 2014.

Currently four airlines carry out direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow; one of which is Georgia’s national carrier Georgian Airways.

But this was not always the case. In the first part of 2014 only two airlines – Georgian Airways and S7 Airlines of Serbia – transported passengers on the Tbilisi-Moscow route. These flights were not regular.

However this year Georgian Airways broke a seven-year stalemate with Russia and resumed regular direct flights to Russia.

On April 10, 2015 Georgian Airways carried out a Tbilisi-St Petersburg flight. This was regarded as a significant step towards revising mutual ties. Only three passengers were on board during the outgoing Tbilisi flight, while the plane carried comparatively more passengers back from St Petersburg to Tbilisi.

Georgian Airways, formerly known as Airzena, previously performed regular Tbilisi-St Petersburg flights until 2008 but this ceased after the Russia-Georgia war, after which Tbilisi cut all diplomatic ties with Moscow.

In 2009, Georgian Airways was granted approval by the Russian side to launch Tbilisi-Moscow charter flights, while in 2011 a Russian airline company also operated charter flights to Tbilisi. Since October 2014, Russia's Aeroflot and Transaero have resumed flights to Georgia.