Georgian Deputy Economy Minister invites Bulgarian airlines to launch flights to country

Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Guram Guramishvili on Thursday met with representatives of Bulgarian airlines in Sofia and invited them to study possibilities of launching direct flights between the two countries. 

We believe the liberal legal framework and attractive airline market of Georgia will encourage Bulgarian airlines to expand their operations in [our] country, which will contribute to improvement of connectivity between the two countries, development of tourism, trade and economic cooperation”, Guramishvili said.

The Deputy Minister said Georgia’s airline industry was growing due to the Government’s “liberal policy”, noting “liberal agreements” on air traffic signed with “many partner countries”, including Bulgaria, Israel, India, Bahrain, China and Saudi Arabia. 

Additionally, the European Union-Georgia common aviation area agreement has been in force since 2020, which allows for deeper integration of the country into the European airspace and includes legal rapprochement with the bloc in aviation safety and security, passenger rights, air traffic management, competition issues and social aspects”, he noted.

During the meeting in Sofia, Guramishvili shared information on the current situation in the airline market of Georgia, including passenger flow figures and infrastructure projects including the new Tbilisi International Airport, a runway and a small cargo terminal for the western Kutaisi International Airport, the new terminal of the north-western Mestia Airport in Svaneti region and Telavi Airport in the eastern Kakheti region. 

He also highlighted statistics showing passenger flows through Georgian airports had returned to pre-pandemic levels, with over six million passengers served in 2023, representing a 15 percent increase from 2019.