Sanctions imposed by the EU and a number of other countries against the Russian aviation sector prevent flights to, from and over Russia, said Peter Stano, spokesman for EU diplomat Josep Borrell. It is reported by Interfax.
“And this is the reason why Georgia, which wants to become a candidate country (to join the European Union), must join the sanctions adopted by the European Union today, including sanctions related to the aviation sector. We need to remain vigilant about all attempts to circumvent these sanctions, in particular in the aviation sector,” the spokesman said in response to a request for comment on Moscow’s lifting of the ban on flights to Tbilisi and the visa regime for Georgian citizens.
He also spoke with reference to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the security of the Russian civil aviation fleet. According to him, Georgia should not allow “unreliable Russian aircraft” into its airspace. Stano said that due to European sanctions, 95% of the Russian fleet was unable to receive proper maintenance to comply with international aviation safety standards.
As for the citizens of Georgia, Borrell’s representative added, it is up to them to decide whether they will take advantage of the measures taken by the Russian side.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on lifting restrictions on flights to Georgia, which have been in effect since July 2019.
The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation reported that after the restrictions were lifted, Russian airlines would fly between Moscow and Tbilisi 7 times a week, for this, domestic-made aircraft would be used. Red Wings, whose fleet is formed mainly of Russian SSJ100s, soon announced that they were ready to start flights to Georgia if they had permits.
Before the suspension of air traffic from the Russian Federation, Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, S7, Red Wings, UTair, Pobeda flew to Georgia. Flights to Russia were operated by Georgian Airways and MyWay Airlines.
Source: Rosbalt
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