The Sukhumi airport could admit the plane flying from Yerevan to Sochi if it were not the political situation that occurred in view of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict," Abkhazian Airlines director general Vyacheslav Eshba told reporters May 3. "The weather conditions allowed that," Eshba said remarking that the control officers of the Sukhumi airport work round the clock and it was possible to avoid the catastrophe. Eshba informed that the Sukhumi airport functioned as an alternate to the Sochi airdrome. When the Sochi airport was closed over weather conditions our airport admitted the planes," he said. The distance between Adler and Sukhumi makes a bit over 100 km. He said that the Abkhazian people with great sadness learned about the tragedy and express condolences to the relatives of the killed, reported IA Regnum.