Russian carrier Nordwind shifts flights from Sochi to Sukhumi amid drone-related airport disruptions
Why It MattersThe shift highlights how airspace disruption near conflict zones is pushing Russian carriers toward disputed airports, deepening legal and diplomatic friction over Abkhazian air access.
Russian carrier Nordwind has started rerouting flights originally bound for Sochi to Sukhumi, the main airport in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region, as Sochi's airport undergoes repeated temporary closures tied to reported Ukrainian drone threats. Nordwind is offering affected passengers full refunds or ticket exchanges but has not officially explained the reason for the change.
Sukhumi airport had been shut since the early 1990s war in Abkhazia before being renovated with Russian investment and resuming regular passenger service in May 2025. Its flight network from Russia has expanded since then, and Abkhazia's de facto authorities say the airport has handled more than 170,000 passengers since the start of 2026. Nordwind itself is subject to US export restrictions and Ukrainian sanctions and is barred from operating flights to the EU and UK under aviation-security restrictions.
Georgia's government and the international community consider Russian airline flights to Sukhumi violations of international law and Georgia's sovereignty. Georgia's Foreign Ministry says such flights breach its Law on Occupied Territories and the Chicago Convention, and the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency notes the airport is not certified by Georgian authorities, meaning no technical or safety oversight applies there. ICAO cancelled Sukhumi airport's code in 2006 and recognizes it as within Georgian airspace, and the European Union has condemned the flights as a further violation of Georgia's territorial integrity.
