New Georgian cargo airline to start operating on transcontinental route

Camex Airlines, a new Georgian cargo airline company described as a “Georgian-American product”, will become the first air freight company in the country to operate on a transcontinental route, the United States Embassy to Georgia announced on Monday.

Following the obtaining of the Air Operator Certificate, Camex Airlines will be represented on the market with four aircraft and make its first commercial flight in the second half of August. 

During the event dedicated to the completion of an airline certification course earlier today, Levan Davitashvili, Georgian Economy Minister, called the occasion a “very important” day in the field of Georgian transport and the development of Georgian aviation. 

He said it was a “Georgian-American product,” naming the United States International Development Finance Corporation and Gazelle Finance, an investment manager targeting growth-capital investments in small and medium enterprises in the Eurasia region, partners of the project.   

I think that we are witnessing the beginning of a very successful initiative, a successful project, and I would like to thank the US for its close cooperation,” Davitashvili said. 

The official also spoke of the beginning of the certification process of Camex Airlines, noting it started during the pandemic and highlighted that as a result, the country obtained a new and modern international carrier company in the field of air freight. 

Davitashvili also noted the capital of Georgia was forming as one of the logistics centres, saying there were six similar airlines, which were “growing rapidly,” calling them “very successful” in the field of cargo transportation.

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan who also attended the event said the plane flying physically West symbolised Georgia’s Western aspirations of Euro-Atlantic integration. Photo: Camex Airlines.

He also said the two centres in Georgia including the capital of Tbilisi and the country's western city of Kutaisi, would help to strengthen the function of the region as a transit hub, noting Georgia had already established connections with important centres such as Frankfurt, Istanbul, Baku and Chinese cities. 

According to Camex Airlines, assets in the amount of ₾100 million ($36.5 mln) had already been added to the Georgian economy as ​​a result of the investment project, noting the number of new jobs created within the initiative would reach 150, the country’s Economy Ministry said.