On July 3, Russia denied clearance for a jet to fly the first regular passenger service between Tbilisi and Moscow after a nine month suspension, but Russian officials said it was just a temporary hitch.

Moscow cut air, sea and postal links with neighbor Georgia last October after a spying row triggered a sharp fall-off in relations between Moscow and Tbilisi's pro-Western government.

Airzena Georgian Airlines announced on June 29 that it had reached agreement with Russia to fly charter flights in July and possibly in August.