Charter flights connected Tbilisi and Moscow on Thursday for the first time since January to let people from the two countries celebrate the Orthodox Easter holiday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry granted Georgia’s private air carrier Georgian Airways permission to conduct flights between the two capitals.

Direct charter flights linking the two capitals will be conducted on April 1st-3rd and April 10th, 12th and 14th.

The ministry said the flights were given the green light due to their humanitarian importance – Easter is one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar.

Last month Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was ready to allow the restart of a regular direct air service with Georgia after it was canceled following the South Ossetian War in 2008.

Flights between the capitals were previously temporarily resumed for the Orthodox Christmas at the start of the year.