Deputy Economy Minister: New restricted airspace zone serves Abastumani Observatory to protect quality of astronomical observation

“The introduction of a restricted zone in Georgian airspace does not entail the abolition of existing air routes, but rather the imposition of limitations on certain types of flights within a defined area,” stated Tamar Ioseliani, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.

She explained that the changes, which came into force on April 16, are designed to safeguard the quality of astronomical observations. As the Deputy Minister noted, the Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory, which has been in operation since 1932, is a scientific facility of great national importance, and its effective functioning depends directly on the preservation of suitable environmental conditions. Ioseliani added that the Observatory had approached the state several years ago with a formal request and supporting evidence, demonstrating that heavy air traffic and aircraft contrails were harming the astro-climate and the quality of observations.

“Accordingly, the change that came into effect on April 16 serves the purposes of this nationally priority scientific observatory, intending to reduce to a minimum the likelihood of contrail formation and, in turn, protect the quality of astronomical observations. Airspace restrictions of precisely this kind are widely employed in international practice, and there is nothing novel in what we have introduced,” the Deputy Minister explained.

Ioseliani further stated that the restrictions would have no significant impact on flight efficiency or traffic flow and dismissed any claims to the contrary as entirely unfounded.

“The restricted zone in question is genuinely too limited in scale to alter flight efficiency in any meaningful way, and it is a negligible factor in the overall picture of air traffic. There is therefore no expectation that the change will harm flight flows or lead to any decline in revenue. The information that has been circulated, which appears intended to mislead the public, is thus wholly groundless. The changes have been developed based on the relevant air traffic management procedures and flight safety assessments, which in themselves ensure full compliance with international standards and the maintenance of airspace capacity,” Ioseliani stated.