Following the meeting of the Russian and Georgian presidents in Moscow on February 21, a political decision was reached on the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, Rosbalt.ru reported on the same day. Technical problems remain to be solved but flights should resume in the middle or end of March, according to the television station Rustavi 2, as reported by the information agency. The Georgian National Airline has already established a flight schedule and Moscow was awaiting their flights, said the air company’s president Georgi Kodya. Tbilisi International Airport is also prepared to sign a contract on the resumption of flights, reported the news source.

Prior to the termination of flights two Russian airlines (Aeroflot and Sibir) and two Georgian airlines (National Airlines and AirZena) conducted flights between the two countries and are now prepared to resume service. Direct air traffic between the two countries was suspended in October 2006 on Moscow’s initiative following the Georgian-Russian spy scandal in which Georgian security services held four Russian soldiers.

This information was originally published on February 21, 2008.  (www.rosbalt.ru)