First flight from Nizhny Novgorod to Georgia's occupied Abkhazia postponed due to drone attack

The inaugural flight from Nizhny Novgorod to Sokhumi, Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region, scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed due to an attack by Ukrainian drones, which led to temporary restrictions on Russian airspace.

The Ikarus airline flight was set to depart from Chkalov Airport at 17:50 local time. However, departure was delayed multiple times due to the closure of several airports in central Russia, a precautionary measure following the drone attack.

According to the latest information, the rescheduled flight is expected to take off Wednesday, at 12:50.

Sokhumi airport resumed operations on May 1. The first flight, operated by YuVT Aero, arrived from Moscow. Russian authorities have announced plans to expand the route network to Sokhumi, with flights from several other Russian cities under consideration.

The resumption of air traffic to Sokhumi has sparked criticism from the Georgian government, which argued that the move violates international norms. The European Union has also condemned the decision to restart flights to the region.