For the first time in three decades, direct commercial flights have resumed between Russia and Georgia’s Russia-occupied Abkhazia region, with an inaugural flight from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport landing in Sokhumi, Abkhazia’s de-facto capital, on May 1, as announced by the Abkhaz presidency.

This flight represents the resumption of regular air traffic between Russia and Abkhazia but is also the first to arrive at Sokhumi airport in 33 years, since a conflict between Georgia and Abkhaz separatist forces in the mid 1990s caused the airport to close.

According to Russian outlet RIA Novosti, the flight had originally been set for May 3, but was rescheduled due to “increased demand”.

Though the May 1 flight marked the ceremonial re-opening of the airport, the Russian company Infrastrukturnoye razvitiye (Infrastructure Development) continues reconstruction work on the site.

The inaugural flight was operated by the Russian airline UTV Aero, which is currently under EU sanctions. IFly Airlines, which has also scheduled regular flights to Sokhumi from Moscow, is also sanctioned by the European bloc. A third carrier, NordStar, also under Western sanctions, will fly to the occupied Georgian region from the Russian capital and Krasnoyarsk, Siberia’s second largest city.

“The resumption of regular air service between Moscow and Sukhum was an important step in strengthening transport links between Abkhazia and Russia,” said the statement from Abkhazia’s de facto presidency. 

As reported by RIA Novosti, passengers were treated to “a concert programme featuring famous Russian and Abkhaz artists, dedicated to friendship and victory in the Great Patriotic War” (1941-45).

Guests were met at Sokhumi by a delegation that included the Abkhazian de-facto president Badra Gunba, the first deputy head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergey Kiriyenko, who has been mainly responsible for Kremlin-Abkhazia relations, and representatives of Abkhaz culture including folk dancers and children in national costumes.

OC Media noted how Badra thanked both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his own predecessor, Aslan Bzhaniya, for their roles in the initiative to launch direct flights.

Kiriyenko, for his part, spoke of how the new high-speed link between the Russia and Abkhaz capitals would boost tourism in the Abkhazia region. He also highlighted the new Dioskuriya rail link, also launched on May 1, connecting the southern Russian city Sochi with Sokhumi.

The operation of Sokhumi airport and the launch of regular flights to Abkhazia was met with widespread accusations from Tbilisi of legal violations.

In an official statement, the foreign ministry noted that both the “illegal operation of a flight by a Russian airline to the occupied region of Abkhazia” and the “so-called agreement concluded with the occupation regime on the transfer and exploitation of the Sukhumi Airport to Russia” constitute a “gross violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, the Georgian Law on Occupied Territories, the fundamental principles and norms of international law, including the UN Charter and the Convention of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to which both Georgia and the Russian Federation are members”.

The statement added that the Georgian foreign ministry “continues to activate relevant international mechanisms and appeals to the international community to properly assess and respond appropriately to Russia's actions”.

Georgia’s Civil Aviation Agency stated that “flights between Russia and occupied Abkhazia are “not certified” and constitute a “violation of international norms and Georgian legislation”.

“In the current circumstances, with the Abkhazia region under occupation, Georgia’s aviation authorities are unable to exercise oversight over aviation safety and security,” the statement continued.

Meanwhile, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party's opponents criticised the government’s response.

Tina Khadasheli, founder of the NGO Civic Idea which promotes Georgian democracy and Euro-Atlantic integration, two principles GD is widely accused of abandoning, noted that “the only appropriate measure” would be for the government to suspend all flights between Georgia and Russia.

Further, a group of conflict-focused NGOs and human rights watchdogs issued a joint statement criticising the failure of the GD government to exert tougher pressure on Russia, namely by permitting Russian airlines to continue to operate freely inside Georgia.

“While the Russian Federation continues to annex, the silence of the Georgian Dream government cannot be considered indifference… We demand that the so-called Georgian Dream government take appropriate measures to stop the ongoing Russian annexation!” the statement read.

The EU also condemned the launch of regular flights, noting that the initiative was put into motion unilaterally by Russia.

“This action, carried out without the consent of the Georgian authorities and without complying with the necessary international aviation regulations for Sokhumi airport, represents yet another step by the Russian Federation in violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” read an official statement from the bloc, as reported by Georgian outlet Formula News.