United Airports of Georgia Director, Kazakh airlines representative review partnership

Irakli Karkashadze, the newly appointed Director of the United Airports of Georgia, on Thursday met Kamila Zhailaubayeva, a representative of Kazakh airlines operating in the country, in a meeting that reviewed cooperation between the sides.

The domestic airports body said the discussion highlighted cooperation involving the FlyAristan and Air Astana airlines with western Georgia’s Kutaisi International Airport.

Karkashadze noted the “continuous increase” in the number of passengers arriving from Kazakhstan to the country over the recent years, and pointed to the nearly 17 percent share of FlyAristan in the Kutaisi airport passenger numbers last year.

The official noted the airline had served 135,713 passengers in 2022 and ranked 10th among airlines operating in Georgia, with a 3.3 percent market share.

FlyAristan operates 14 flights a week from Kutaisi to four cities of Kazakhstan – Astana, Aktau, Atyrau and Shymkent - while Air Astana has been connecting passengers from Batumi International Airport on the Black Sea coast for over 10 years.