Tbilisi will host international route development forum

Leading airline and airport officials will assemble in Tbilisi this month in a bid to expand air services between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  

The event entitled – "The first Routes Silk Road 2014” will be held from July 6-8, and will discuss development of the new air services to, from and within the region, which is home to around two thirds of the world’s population.    

Around 250 delegates are expected to attend Routes Silk Road, representing more than 45 airports and 35 leading airlines which connect the region, including Etihad, Air China, China Southern, Turkish Airlines, Aeroflot, AirAsia X, EasyJet, Air Astana, Air Baltic, Czech Airlines, Air Arabia, Wizz Air and Atlasjet.

The forum will be hosted by United Airports of Georgia (UAG) and supported by the Georgian National Tourism Administration. UAG chief executive officer Kate Aleksidze said organising the forum in Tbilisi was an absolute honour.  

"Hosting Routes Silk Road gives UAG and its stakeholders a unique opportunity to promote the country as destination and generate further growth of the aviation industry in both the country as well as all over the region,” Aleksidze said.

She believed Georgia has achieved some outstanding results over the last decade in terms of international traffic growth, which has trebled since 2005.

One of the highlights of the event will be the Routes Silk Road Strategy Summit which will take place on Sunday July 6 and in the morning of Monday July 7 and will open with a keynote address from Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili.

Around 20 high-level industry leaders will speak at the conference covering some of the hot topics affecting the industry.