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 launches.
