Page 42 - GEORptAug19

9.1.3 Transport sector news
Losses to airlines resulting from the ban on direct flights between Russia and Georgia is estimated at RUB3bn ($47mn), Russian Transport Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh said on July 7, Tass reported.
The ban was introduced after mass protests outside the Georgian parliament , triggered by reports that a Russian lawmaker was giving a speech from the speaker’s chair inside the legislature. At an emergency session of the Russian Security Council, Putin announced a temporary ban on flights to and from Georgia starting July 8, “to protect Russian citizens from violence or other illegal actions.”
Russia’s transport ministry is now calculating how much the ban will cost carriers; according to Tass the ministry is working on a universal technique to compensate carriers for suspensions in service due to reasons beyond their control.
“Preliminarily, we estimate the sum at about RUB. It is a preliminary sum and includes direct loses and partially lost profits,” Ditrikh said.
But while operators of direct flights between Russia and Georgia are losing out, airlines from other countries in the region are looking to cash in.
Several Armenian carriers have said they will provide connections between Russia and Georgia transiting via the Armenian airports at Yerevan and Gyumri. Armenia has friendly relations with both countries.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s AtlasGlobal says it will put on four flights a week from Moscow to Tbilisi via Istanbul, r eturning to the Georgian market a fter a year-long absence.
Through January-April 2019 passenger traffic at Georgia’s airports increased by 20% to 1,208,422 passengers, according to United Airports of Georgia under the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. The growth rate was 23% in 2018.
Georgia’s ski slopes, eco-tourism facilities and Black Sea resorts are visited by a rising number of tourists, with a positive impact on the country’s current account balance.
In April, Tbilisi International Airport served 331,523 passengers, some 12% more compared to the same period of last year (296,163). In January-April, passenger traffic at the airport increased by 11%.
Batumi airport saw over 36,532 passengers in April 2019, 16% more compared to the same period of 2018. The four-month data set also shows that the airport served 88,448 passengers 30% up year on year.
The rising passenger volumes are partly explained by the expansion of tourism supported by infrastructure work. For instance, Okatse waterfall, located in Kinchkha village in the Khoni Municipality of Imereti region in western Georgia, has opened for visitors following a renovation. Mamuka Bakhtadze, the Prime Minister of Georgia, visited the site when paying a visit to the village earlier this week.
"The new eco-tourism infrastructure at Okatse Waterfall will triple the number of tourists visiting this most beautiful destination," he said.
9.1.4 Tourism sector news
EU’s Tusk criticises Russian ban on Georgia flights
The head of the European Council Donald Tusk criticised the newly imposed Russian ban on flights to and from Georgia during a visit to Batumi on July 11.
The ban was announced shortly after mass protests in Tbilisi in June, sparked
42 GEORGIA Country Report August 2019 www.intellinews.com