to ferry supplies to troops stationed in Sukhumi. Abkhaz forces attacked the airport in an attempt to further block the supply routes.
During the siege of the airport, five civilian airliners belonging to Transair Georgia and Orbi Georgian Airways were hit by missiles allegedly fired by separatists in Sukhumi. Over 130 people died in the attacks.[1][2][3]
20 September
Two Orbi Georgian Airways' Tupolev
small arms fire or missiles with no casualties.[4][5][6]
21 September
A Transair Тu-134А-3 (built in 1975 with registration 4L-65893 and factory number 5340120
Strela 2 surface-to-air missile. The missile had been fired from an Abkhaz boat commanded by Toriy Achba. The plane crashed into the Black Sea, killing all five crew members and 22 passengers.[8] Other sources reported 28 people on board (six crew members and 22 passengers).[1][2][8][9][10]
22 September
An Orbi Georgian Airways
crash-landed on the airstrip; the ensuing fire killed 108 of the 132 passengers and crew,[9][12][13][14] making the incident the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Georgia.[15] Georgian media claimed that the flight was carrying refugees, but there was no factual evidence to back up these claims.[16][17]
Another Tu-154 was attacked later in the evening, but landed safely.[18]
23 September
Passengers were boarding a Transair Tu-134A (built in 1975 with registrations CCCP-65001 and factory number 42235) at Sukhumi when it was struck by rockets from an Abkhaz BM-21 Grad rocket launcher. It caught fire and burned, leaving one crew member dead. The aircraft was due to operate a Sukhumi-Tbilisi service.[18][19][20]
On the same day, an ORBI Tu-154 (registration 4L-85359[21]) was reportedly destroyed by mortar or artillery fire.[22]
References
^ abcZhirokhov, Michael (21 January 2005). "Авиация в абхазском конфликте" [Aviation in the Abkhaz conflict] (in Russian). Corner of the sky. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
