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Georgian Airways resumes regular flights to Moscow

Russia stopped regular flights to and from Georgia in August 2008

TBILISI, December 12. /TASS/. Georgian Airways resumed its regular Moscow-Tbilisi flights on Friday, two days after going on strike demanding parity between Russian and Georgian air carriers.

The representatives of the Tbilisi airport said the air company’s plane has already departed for Moscow and another flight is due to be performed from the Russian capital to Tbilisi later on day.

Georgia’s largest air carrier, Georgian Airways, said the decision to resume the flights was taken after the company’s demands “had been partially met by the respective Georgian authorities.”

“We expect that since December 15, the remaining demands will start being met step-by-step, and if this process does not start, then the protest actions will resume,” a spokesperson for the company told journalists.

On December 10, Georgian Airways demanded the resignation of the head of the country’s Civil Aviation Agency, as well as returning to the company the status of a flag carrier, which was abolished during Mikhail Saakashvili’s presidency.

The representatives of the agency announced a decision on December 11 to restore the parity in the number of flights between Russian and Georgian air companies. Georgian Airways later said it revoked its demand for the resignation of the agency’s chief.

Russia stopped regular flights to and from Georgia in August 2008. Since 2009, Georgian Airways began charter flights between the two capitals. Russia’s Siberia Airlines (S7) started serving charter flights in 2011.

This September, Georgia and Russia announced the beginning of regular flights replacing the charter ones. Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot resumed its flights to Georgia in October.