Aero Georgia Group seeks to start certification in late 1Q20

Aero Georgia (Tbilisi) is nearing an agreement with undisclosed investors amid plans to start operations in autumn this year, Chief Executive Igor Aptsiauri told Forbes.

"We want to start the certification process as early as possible because it will take another six to seven months. Then we still have a chance to start operations from maybe September, October of this year," he said.

He added that two Eastern European investors would "imminently" decide on their plans for the start-up while declining to name them.

Aero Georgia, which is a part of Aptsiauri-led Aero Georgia Group, plans to launch as a charter carrier with a single narrowbody seating around 150 passengers. The airline is looking to serve a variety of markets, ranging from executive and sport team charters to leisure passengers, flying to Europe, the Middle East, and the CIS region. Going forward, it plans to add one aircraft per year.

Aptsiauri admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the timeline but said that demand for charters should be revived by the time Aero...

Aero Georgia Group is in talks with a European investor to raise the capital it requires to set up a new Georgian airline, which will be called Aero Georgia (Tbilisi).

“One of the projects we are working on is the creation of a new airline. We are already in intensive talks with a potential investor," Aero Georgia Group Director Igor Aptsiauri, told Caucasus Business Week. "It will be a passenger airline, although the business model is still under discussion. It could be full service, low-cost, mixed or chartered, [it is] still in development. The airline will most likely be called Aero Georgia."

Aptsiauri added: "I am pleased that the investor is from Europe and most importantly from the aviation sector.”

Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) is currently Georgia's largest carrier in terms of weekly seats, commanding 22%, followed by Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul New) with 14% and Georgian Airways (A9, Tbilisi) with 8%.

Tbilisi-based Georgian Airways has a mixed fleet of a sole B737-800, three E190...