(Read full article on civil.ge)

Georgian Airways, the country’s major privately owned airline, has removed Russian card payment system MIR from its payment options after the public and opposition lambasted the company’s move.

Responding to criticism, one of company officials told reporters today that their contractor Spanish travel retail company WebSky.tech added MIR’s logo to their payment options without their knowledge. He said Georgian Airways asked the Spanish company as early as March 3 to remove MIR.

Russia’s own MIR system has allowed its nationals to make electronic purchases across Russia and a handful of foreign countries, after MasterCard and Visa announced suspending their operations in Russia last week over the invasion of Ukraine. Georgia does not support MIR payments.

Georgian Airways also issued an official statement today, claiming they have not sold a single ticket using the Russian MIR. It explained that WebSky.tech’s purchase system in Georgia was fully connected to the Bank of Georgia, a private financial institution, rendering MIR payments impossible.