Russian government to compensate airlines for losses due to Georgia passenger flight ban
Source: TASS
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov announced that the government would develop a mechanism to compensate Russian airlines for losses sustained during a ban on commercial flights from Russia to Georgia. President Vladimir Putin ordered the ban in response to anti-Russian unrest and clashes with police in Tbilisi.
On June 26, Akimov will hold a meeting with the airlines to determine how many Russians bought plane tickets to fly to Georgia after July 8, when the ban will take effect. The vice premiere hinted that the number of tickets would be small. However, the newspaper Kommersant had previously reported potential losses of 2.3 – 3 billion rubles ($36.6 – 47.8 million) for airlines that were forced to cancel Russia-Georgia flights.