YEREVAN. – The Russians are attempting to do everything so that foreign airline companies may enter Armenia solely with their permission, or not operate at all in the country; that is the air transport market in Armenia is completely given to Russians.

The former head of the Armenian government-affiliated General Department of Civil Aviation, Shahen Petrosyan, told about the aforesaid to Zhamanak daily, commenting on the halting of the Etihad Airways services to Armenia.  

“To note, UAE national air carrier Etihad Airways announced about halting its service in Armenia because of a review in the flight schedule. 

“Shahen Petrosyan, in an interview with us, also did not rule out the [possibility of] halting of [the Etihad] flights [to and from Armenia] based on purely business objectives, business profitability. 

“But, in his words, he has a more reasonable suspicion that the Russian airline companies are involved in this process. ‘This is rather a consequence of [Armenia’s] EEU [i.e. the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union] accession. They all disregard Armenia; this is the problem,’ Petrosyan said,” Zhamanak wrote.