Georgia Unlocks Skies for Turkish Airlines

British Airways’ Flights Still Pending

The Turkish Airlines resumed regular flights between Tbilisi and Istanbul on September 17, after seven months of suspension. On the same day, Georgia singed an agreement with the British side on civil aviation cooperation, thus paving the way for the British Airways to conduct regular flights in Georgia.

The Georgian authorities canceled the flight license to the British Mediterranean Airways (BMedA), which is the franchise partner to British Airways, and the Turkish Airlines from April 15, explaining decision with unpaid taxes, inadequate legal basis and unsolved disputes with the Georgian flagship company Airzena. 

As a result of the agreement between the Turkish Airlines and the Georgian flagship company Airzena, each company will conduct two flights per week between Tbilisi and Istanbul. Airzena will start flights from October 10. Before April 15 the Turkish Airlines conducted three flights per week, which caused Airzena’s protest.

Despite the agreement singed on September 17 between Minister of Transport and Communications of Georgia Merab Adeishvili and British Ambassador to Georgia Deborah Barnes Jones on cooperation in civil aviation sphere, the BMedA still has to pass some formalities to resume flights in Georgia.

“We have the right to request the Civil Aviation Administration of Georgia a permission to resume the flights within 14 days,” Tamar Shanidze, the chief of the PR office of the British Airway Tbilisi office, told Civil Georgia.

However, as the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) explains, the conclusion of the agreement is not enough for resumption of the flights.

“The BMedA can resume flights if the agreement is ratified by the Parliament, or in case the BMedA concludes a commercial agreement with the Georgian flagship air company Airzena,” Zurab Chankotadze, Chairman of the Georgian Civil Aviation Administration told Civil Georgia.

The talks between the Georgian and British companies are anticipated to start in the nearest days and if the outcome is successful, the BMedA will start flights from October. In April, when the representatives of the British company visited Georgia, the sides failed to reach an agreement. Airzena demanded to conduct Tbilisi-London flights on a parity basis – two flights per week for each company. Like the Turkish Airlines, the BMedA also conduced three flights per week before April 15.

Tea Gadabadze, head of the Airzena’s PR department said that the Georgian side would immediately agree on the talks if the British company expressed will to meet with the Georgian counterparts.

Despite Airzena’s readiness to negotiate with the BMedA, it seems not very keen on resumption of the flights of the British company.

“There is no such a big necessity [to resume BMedA’s flights]. Although currently there is no direct flight to London, passengers can go to London through other cities. Nevertheless, Airzena is ready for the negotiations,” Tea Gadabadze of the Airzena company told Civil Georgia.

As there are no direct Tbilisi-London flights, the passengers have to fly from Tbilisi to London, or back via Prague. Tbilisi-Prague flights are conducted by Airzena.

If the sides still fail to reach an agreement, then the BMedA will be able to resume the flights only after ratification of the agreement between the Georgian and British governments by the Parliament of Georgia.

In this case the resumption of flight is unlikely to happen in the near future, at least after the November 2 parliamentary elections, when the new parliament will be convened.

By Tea Gularidze, Civil Georgia