Aero Georgia Group seeks to start certification in late 1Q20

Mexico's Interjet eyes 2022 restart from Felipe Angeles

US's Miami Air continues recertification drive

Miami Air (BSK, Miami Int'l) has asked the US Department of Transportation(DOT) to waive dormancy provisions of its air service certificates for another two months until March 2, 2022.

In a January 14 letter to the DOT, the lawyer for Miami Air (legally Miami Air International Inc.) explains the extension is needed because of delays in the airline’s recertification process with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These, says John R. Mietus Jr., have been caused by unexpected management team changes and delays in normal workplace procedures as a result of COVID-19.

Since the last waiver request on October 21, 2021, Miami Air’s vice president and director of operations has unexpectedly resigned. “Two long-time Miami Air operational managers moved up to fill the resulting Part 119 vacancies: Dan Sweitzer (Director of Operations, formerly Chief Pilot) and Gabriel Cosentino (Chief Pilot, formerly Director of Training). FAA inspectors have expressed their satisfaction with the current Part 119 team,” the letter states.

The COVID-19 Omicron variant has also resulted in a drag on human resources that...

Aero Georgia targets 2H20 launch

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 Georgia seeks European investor

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...