The Georgian Airways denied selling tickets through the Russian payment system Mir on Wednesday, following a controversy linking the airline to the platform on the backdrop of international sanctions imposed on Russia for its military operation against Ukraine last month.
The airline said it had reached an agreement with WebSky.tech, a Spanish company that runs an international ticketing system and uses the Mir platform alongside other technical tools. However, the airline stated that their system was connected to the Bank of Georgia, adding it was “impossible” for its customers to buy tickets through the Mir payment system.
Moreover, Georgian Airways was also the only airline carrier to fly during the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia to “ensure Georgia was not under an information blockade” during the crisis, according to founder Tamaz Gaiashvili.
On Wednesday, the National Bank of Georgia said commercial banks and card processing systems operating in Georgia were not in cooperation with the Russian payment system Mir.
The central bank said, operations in the Mir platform do not concern the Georgian financial system, adding the payment system of Mir cooperated with the de-facto authorities in Georgia’s Russian-occupied territories of Abkhazia, which may infringe the Georgian Law on the Occupied Territories.
According to the National Bank of Georgia’s statement, the bank has always operated and continues to operate in full accordance with the standards set by international resolutions.
Georgian Airways were previously reported to have used the Mir payment system to bypass international sanctions imposed on Russia during the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine last month.
Furthermore, the airline responded by stating that it has reached an arrangement with WebSky.tech, a Spanish company that operates an international ticketing system and uses the Mir platform in addition to other technical means.
However, the airline stated that their system was connected to Bank of Georgia and it was “impossible” for its customers to buy tickets through the Mir payment system.
