Georgia estimates damage from ban on flights to and from Russia at 113 million US dollars

The Georgian National Tourism Administration calculated losses for July and August caused by termination of direct flights to and from Russia and also noted a decrease in the number of tourists in September. The "Georgian Airways" announced filing a lawsuit to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for the recovery of 25 million US dollars from the Russian Ministry of Transport.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that starting from July 8, the Russian President's decree bans passenger flights to and from Georgia. The Ministry of Transports also imposed a ban from the same date on flights of Georgian airlines to Russia.

On October 8, in her interview to the "Imedi" Georgian TV Company, Mariam Kvrivishvili, the head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, stated that in July and August 2019, the loss of Georgia's tourism business because of the termination of direct flights to and from Russia amounted to 113 million US dollars.

The head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration also noted a decrease in the number of Russian tourists.

"In September, (Georgia) registers a decrease in the tourist flow from Russia by about 20%. Of course, this fact affects the private sector, business, and the tourism industry," the RIA "Novosti" quotes today Mariam Kvrivishvili as saying.

The "Georgian Airways" announced filing a lawsuit to the European Court to demand 25 million US dollars of compensation from the Russian Ministry of Transport in connection with an unjustified suspension of flights, the "Georgia Online" reported on October 8.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 9, 2019 at 02:41 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.