Economy Minister: sanctioned aircraft, airlines “not operating” in Georgia

Levan Davitashvili, the first Vice Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Georgia, on Tuesday said aircraft and airlines sanctioned for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were “not operating” in the country.

Davitashvili made the comment while rejecting a TV report that on Saturday claimed correspondence between the domestic authorities and the Russian state airline Red Wings.

The TV story alleged the Russian airline had personally sent Davitashvili a letter requesting launch of flights between 14 Russian cities and all three international airports of Georgia.

The Minister called the alleged letter shown in the report a “fake” and said the report was “irresponsible”, “not based on verified facts” and represented a “violation of journalistic ethics”.

The mentioned report was a deliberate slander, a feeble attempt to strain the situation and mislead the public”, he said, adding the Russian company had only obtained permission “from its own administration” to fly to Georgia.

However, if they have not contacted us, it does not mean they will launch flights here, does it? Additionally, specific details such as dates and destinations need to be agreed upon with the [Georgian] Civil Aviation Agency before any flights can take place, which has not happened”, the official added.

The Minister said aircraft used by Red Wings “in other cases” in operations in Georgia were in compliance with the requirements of the international sanctions imposed on Russia.

Davitashvili also said criteria of granting permission to operate flights in Georgia were “very clear” and the Civil Aviation Agency was “not agreeing such issues” with the Ministry.

He added “all companies” were having relations with the Agency “in accordance with international principles”, and stressed the body was making “its own decisions without the intervention of the Ministry”, before claiming “politicising” the issue was “certainly irresponsible”.