Following the presidential decree, the Russian Transport Ministry barred two Georgian carriers - Georgian Airways and MyWay Airlines - from flying to Russia starting 8 July, citing security concerns and Georgia's overdue debt for air navigation services.
In a retaliatory move, Georgian Airways announced Saturday that it would bypass the ban on direct flights to Russia by detouring through Armenia.
"Georgian Airways will offer its passengers a Tbilisi-Yerevan-Moscow transit flight option", the company said in a statement.
The Russian Association of Tour Operators suggested earlier that there are currently some 5,000-7,000 Russian tourists traveling in Georgia on tours organized by travel companies, while up to three times that number of Russians are traveling in the country without chaperones.
Russian authorities ordered the Georgia-bound flight ban after protests erupted in Tbilisi on Thursday over the participation of the Russian delegation in an international parliamentary forum. The rallies became violent as demonstrators, including country's opposition called on the government to step down.
Police dispersed the rally using rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas. According to local officials, at least 240 people were injured during the Tbilisi protests.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze said in a statement that the unrest was triggered by "destructive political forces who overstepped the constitutional boundaries", blaming what he described as a "revanchist opposition" for the violent protests.
