Austrian Airlines re-launches service to Georgia

The sudden outbreak of the South Ossetian War on August 7^th, following Russia’s military invasion of Georgia, threw this Eastern European country’s tourism industry into chaos, especially as foreigners fled the region ahead of the fighting. Nearly all major international carriers cancelled their flights to Tbilisi, the nation’s capital city. Austrian Airlines is one of the major players in the region and like many of its competitors, this flag carrier also cancelled its service from Vienna to Tbilisi following the outbreak of hostilities earlier this month. The carrier, however, announced earlier today that it would re-start its regularly scheduled flights this week. Austrian Airlines currently offers four flights each week connecting Tbilisi to Vienna.

While Austrian has announced that it would re-launch its Georgian operations, Lufthansa has already resumed flying to this troubled country. Germany’s flag carrier offers 10 weekly departures from Munich to Tbilisi and it started flying again last Friday. Turkish Airlines has also decided to return to Georgia, while British Midland (bmi) of the United Kingdom is also operating again in Tbilisi, with a total of six flights per week from London Heathrow to the Georgian capital city. It is expected that Britons will once again start travelling to Tbilisi, although many were undoubtedly discouraged by a travel advisory issued earlier this month by the Foreign Office. This advisory, along with one issued by the US Department of State, remains in effect, despite the lull in violence and the gradual withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.

www.aua.com