Russian airline drops Sochi flights in favour of Abkhazia
Russian airline Nordwind has announced that it will cancel some of its scheduled flights to the Black Sea resort of Sochi as part of what it describes as an “optimisation” of its summer flight programme.
According to a statement from the airline’s press service, the changes will reduce the number of flights to Sochi while increasing services to the capital of Abkhazia.
The most likely reason behind the “optimisation” is the recent increase in Ukrainian drone attacks on Sochi. During such attacks, the city’s airport suspends operations. As a result, many flights bound for Sochi have to divert to other airports, while departing flights face delays of several hours. The disruptions have imposed financial losses on airlines, prompting them to look for alternatives.
Nordwind has become the first airline to make such a significant revision to its flight programme in response to the situation. Redirecting flights to Sukhumi Airport appears a logical option, given that Sochi and Sukhumi are only about 100km apart.
Sukhum Airport had remained closed for more than 30 years before reopening in 2025 following a reconstruction project financed largely by Russia. Because the airport lacks international certification and most countries do not recognise Abkhazia, only Russian airlines operate flights there.
The airport handled 180,000 passengers in 2025. Operators had expected passenger numbers to rise to 300,000 this year. However, the disruption affecting Sochi is likely to push that figure significantly higher.
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Nordwind expands flights to Abkhazia
