The price of air tickets for the first flight from Moscow to Tbilisi on May 19 has been announced

The Georgian national carrier, Georgian Airways, has received permission to fly with Russia. The airline will operate seven flights a week to Moscow. The first flight will take place this Saturday, May 20. Earlier, the Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia issued a flight permit to the Russian airline Azimuth. It will start air transportation on May 19. Member of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor, former Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation of the USSR, honored pilot Oleg Smirnov told MK about how the preparations for the flights are going.

“Georgia’s aviation connection with the cities of Russia has a colossal tradition that dates back many decades,” says Oleg Mikhailovich Smirnov. – More than a million ethnic Georgians live in Russia, for such a small nation – this is a huge figure.

People experienced great difficulties getting roundabout ways to relatives for weddings, funerals or anniversaries. It’s good that there will be direct flights now. The summer schedule of our airlines has already been drawn up, in order to take on a new volume of traffic, in particular to Georgia, it was necessary to make changes. Azimuth Airlines found such an opportunity and took over these volumes.

The honored pilot recalled that the pro-Western President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, reacted with hostility to the resumption of air traffic with Russia, calling for preventing a split between Georgia and Western partners. At the same time, this decision was fully supported by the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Irakli Kobakhidze.

– I think that the urgent demands of the population will lead to the fact that they will be forced to take this step. This is also beneficial for the Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia, because any decisions are of a mirror nature. This is a worldwide practice.

If the planes of our airline start flying, then the airliners of the Georgian airline will fly with the same frequency. What we are now seeing. This is laid down in the intergovernmental agreement on reciprocal flights. Both airlines have the same scope of rights and opportunities.

Now, according to the expert, flight plans are being drawn up, which indicate the flight time, type of aircraft, its speed and flight altitude. Azimuth will operate flights on domestically produced aircraft that do not fall under either European or American “aircraft” sanctions.

“These are our Superjet 100s, we have enough of them. They are also going to produce Tu-214.

– Do you think the Americans can ban the same Georgian national carrier from flying to Russia on Boeing?

All planes are leased. The lessor is interested in the fact that the planes fly, this gives them a profit. The more the plane flies, the more they pay for leasing. I don’t think Americans would be so stupid with bans.

Everyone, of course, is interested in the cost of the flight. We called Azimuth Airlines and found out that there were three seats left for the first flight on May 19 from Moscow to Tbilisi. The ticket price is 25 thousand rubles.

– Tariffs are flexible, – explained the girl – the representative of the air carrier. – For May 20, the prices are the same. You can fly from Moscow to Tbilisi on May 29, there are tickets for this flight for 23 thousand rubles, for June 28 – for 20 thousand. Tickets for August are already sold out. They called us, they were interested in air travel, when flights were not even open yet.

Oleg Mikhailovich Smirnov clarifies that the cost of tickets depends on demand.

— The greater the demand, the lower the cost of the ticket. If the plane is loaded by 70%, then this flight justifies itself. If the load is above 70%, there is already a profit. Commercial loading by 80-90% can reduce the cost of air tickets.

It should be noted that there are several more airlines in the queue that want to start flying to Georgia from Russia and back in the near future.