batumi_airport

(Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Air Arabia, Scat, El Al Israel Airlines, ARKIA and Dniproavia are considering flights to Batumi airport on Georgia’s Black Sea coast.

Guram Jalaghonia, head of the Civil Aviation Agency, told Business and Political Insight (BPI) on Monday that the interest in the Adjara region in southwest of Georgia is growing every year, as is the number of passengers at Batumi International Airport.

Currently, the companies Georgian Airways, Turkish Airlines, Belavia and Yanair offer flights to and from Batumi.

Jalaghonia said that Air Arabia, Scat, El Al Israel Airlines, ARKIA and Dniproavia plan to launch flights out of Batumi from next year and the airport operator TAV Batumi is negotiating with them together with the local government and the tourism department.

A few weeks ago, TAV Georgia informed that three Iranian companies were interested in entering the Georgian market: Mahan Air, ATA Airlines and Qeshm Airlines.

According to the Aviation Agency, the number of passengers from Iran to Georgia was always, but the numbers also reflect visa regime which Georgia had changed for Iranian citizens several times.

In 2011, 23,268 people visited from Iran; in 2012 number increased to 47,691, in 2013 it was 50,037, but in 2013, when Georgia canceled visa-free travel for Iranians, the number went down to 21,441 and fell further in 2014 to 3,990.

Georgia and Iran resumed mutual visa-free rules from February 15, 2016.