Russia has permitted the resumption of direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow over the Orthodox Easter holiday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.Georgian Airways asked to run a series of charter flights between the two nations’ capital cities during the Orthodox Easter in April and Russia granted permission “in view of the obvious humanitarian importance of such flights,” the foreign ministry said as quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last month that Moscow was ready to restart regular air service with Georgia.Direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow were suspended in 2006 and resumed for a short time in 2008. But the flights were halted again after the August 2008 conflict between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia.Russia’s Transportation Ministry allowed Georgian Airways to run charter flights between the two capitals in early January.