Georgia Accused of Refusing to Guide Russian Airliner Thorough Its Airspace

Excerpt from report by Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS

Moscow, 26 August: The Georgian civil aviation department unreasonably refuses to serve flights from Russia in Georgian airspace, a spokesman for the State Corporation for Organizing Air Traffic in the Russian Federation FGUP [federal state unitary enterprise] told ITAR-TASS today, commenting on the situation that has evolved with the serving of aircraft over Georgian territory.

“On 25 August, the Tbilisi aviation authorities refused, without explaining the reasons, to serve the aircraft of the Volgaaviaekspress airline on the flight from Volgograd to Yerevan”, a spokesman for the state corporation said, recalling that “the route in question had been approved by the Georgian side for the entire 2008 spring-summer timetable”.

There was a similar situation on 19 August with an aircraft of the Armavia airlines flying from Domodedovo [in Moscow] to Yerevan. When the Russian side inquired about the flight, the Georgian civil aviation department sent a telegram giving the reason for the refusal, namely the introduction of restrictions on flights in Georgian airspace: “enforced shutdown of the secondary radar by Russian troops in the town of Senaki in Georgia and the high volume over air traffic in Georgian airspace”.

However, letters exchanged between the director of the Sakaeronavigatsia public company (the Georgian air navigation service provider) and a representative of the IATA (International Air Transport Association) on 25 August said that the operation of the radar position in Senaki had resumed on the morning of 24 August, and that the Georgian air traffic control system was fully ready to serve the flights of civilian aircraft and provide the required level of flight safety. [Passage omitted]

Airlines flying to or from Russia carry out up to 150 flights a day through Georgian airspace.

Originally published by ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1535 26 Aug 08.

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