Irish low cost airline Ryanair interested in introducing flights to Kutaisi airport
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Monday, February 22
The Irish low cost airline Ryanair states it is interested in Georgia’s air-market and has expressed interest launching routes to western Kutaisi International Airport with Georgia’s officials.
The Chief Commercial Officer of the Airline, David O'Brien, met Georgia’s Prime Minister (PM) Giorgi Kvirikahsvili and Minister of Economics Dimitri Kumsishvili, where he said that Georgia’s attractive business environment and increased inflow of tourists were major motivators of their company's interest in Georgia.
"We conducted a fruitful and promising meeting with Georgia’s PM. Now I am in a completely different spot from Ireland, which is a great privilege to me. I hope that soon we will be able to connect this part of Europe with other parts of the continent,” O'Brien said.
Kumsishvili also evaluated the meeting as fruitful.
"It was an important meeting, since Ryanair is one of the most fast-growing low cost airlines on the European market. We have been negotiating with the company and now the airline representatives are in Georgia with their technical employees. They will assess the condition of Kutaisi airport as well as evaluate new capacities and directions to make a decision about direct flights from Georgia,” Kumsishvili said.
“We hope that a relevant decision will be made as soon as possible,” the Minister added.
Ryanair was founded in 1984 and started operating in 1985. At the given stage, its airpark includes a number of Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800 airplanes. Last year the company provided services to more than 90 million travelers. The airline has 72 bases and operates in 191 different airports worldwide.
On February 17, the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air announced it had opened a base at Kutaisi International Airport and provided flights to seven European cities, where passengers can expect to pay about €40 for a ticket.
