Georgia-Turkey direct flights to be suspended to stem coronavirus spread
Turkey intended to ban flights from Georgia starting March 14, but the countries agreed to postpone the decision until March 21. Photo: Turkish Airlines.
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Direct flights between Georgia and Turkey will be suspended starting March 21 as Turkey has imposed restrictions on international flights.
Turkey intended to ban flights from Georgia starting March 14, but the countries agreed to postpone the decision until March 21.
“The schedule of the flights is changing every hour as air companies are canceling or decreasing the amount of their flights due to new coronavirus,” says the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA).
Yesterday, the Georgian government announced a temporary, two-week closure of its borders for all foreign citizens, with exceptions, to avoid the further spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The ban will come into effect starting March 18, at 00:00.
Since February 26, 2020 Georgia has had 34 confirmed cases of the China-born respiratory infection, with one recovered and discharged yesterday.
As of now there are 33 individuals in the country who have the virus, with 1,008 people under quarantine and 64 others at hospitals.
The Georgian government has announced a temporary, two-week closure of its borders for all foreign citizens, with exceptions, to avoid the further spread of the Covid-19 virus. The ban will come into effect starting March 18, at 00:00. The government says that Georgian citizens [and their family members] who want to come back to the country will be able to use the flights of Georgian Airways or Turkish Airlines.
Travellers from Switzerland, Norway and Denmark will have to present a PCR test for the coronavirus while arriving in Georgia, otherwise they will be placed under mandatory 14-day quarantine. Earlier Georgia introduced the same rules for travellers from China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Germany, France, Spain and Austria.
Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will suspend all flights except to Budapest from the Kutaisi International Airport in the western Georgian town of Kutaisi from March 18 to April 3, 2020, in order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in Georgia.
Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will temporarily suspend flights to Austria, France, Germany and Spain from the Kutaisi International Airport in the western Georgian town of Kutaisi, to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. In particular, flights will be suspended from March 16 to April 3, Kutaisi International Airport announced earlier today.
Georgia is completely shutting down air traffic in the country starting tomorrow in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, announced the PM's Advisor for Foreign Affairs Irakli Chikovani today.Chikovani added that only "government-coordinated flights" carried out by the national flag carrier Georgian Airlines will be operated. He also said that every citizen who enters Georgia will be quarantined.
The suspension of flights has been extended in Georgia through May 22, 2020, says the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency. Air companies which operate in Georgia have already been informed about the extension.
Starting today Turkey has reopened its borders for citizens of Georgia and 30 other countries seeking medical treatment in the country.
The Georgian Patriarchate has responded to the possible reversion of Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, into a mosque from a museum, saying it would be wise of Turkey to maintain the site’s current status unchanged.