TBILISI. Feb 5 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian troops group in the Trans-Caucasus has practically no possibility to use the airfield of the former Russian 137th military base that was handed to the Georgian Defense Ministry in June last year, chief of the group's press service Colonel Alexander Lutskevich told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
Under the agreements on the base transfer to Georgia, the Russian Defense Ministry has the right to make 48 free sorties a year to the airfield. Nevertheless, the Georgian party introduced limitations on cargo capacity of Russian transport planes landing at the airfield, banning the aircraft airlifting more than 40t from the installation.
"As a result only AN-24 Coke and AN-26 Curl planes can land here," Lutskevich said. That is why practically all cargo for the group is delivered to the Batumi airfield which is free to accept IL-18 Coot planes.