Georgia's flagship airline bans its president over Russia flights criticism

Georgia's national airline Georgian Airways has banned the flight of its own country's president. Explain that President Salome Zourabichvili had said that she would boycott the airline if it resumed flights to Russia. Russia's TASS news agency has informed about this on Sunday.

Russia lifted the four-year ban

Russia announced this month that it was lifting a four-year ban on direct flights with Georgia. It also removed a decades-old visa requirement for Georgians traveling to Russia. President Salome Zourabichvili urged the Georgian authorities to thwart the Russian initiative.

Tamaz Gaiashvili, the founder of the privately owned Georgian Airways, said the ban would remain in place until it apologized to the Georgian people. However, there was no immediate response from Zourabichvili.

President Zourabichvili's warning

Georgian officials welcomed the resumption of flights and demonstrated against it in central Tbilisi on Sunday. Many Georgians are opposed to any rapprochement with Moscow.

The Georgian government has worked to improve ties with Moscow in recent years and has also refused to impose sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. President Zourabichvili has warned that deeper ties with Russia could one day jeopardize the country's EU prospects.