Georgia’s Myway Airlines to kick off with flights to Russia

The carrier is launching this spring (Myway Airlines)

The newly-founded Georgian carrier Myway Airlines has named Russia as one of its initial destinations. Co-founded by the Chinese company Hualing Group, the airline will also operate flights to Ukraine, Belarus, Iran, and Israel. Georgian TV reports that flights will begin this spring, in March or April.

This past fall Myway took delivery of two Boeing 737-800 narowbodies, registered 4L-MWA and 4L-BQJ, both of which are based at Tbilisi airport. The carrier expects delivery of two more of the type in July and December, says CCO Igor Aptsiauri.

The new airline is eying new routes, with the UAE and European countries as possibilities, while Business Georgia earlier reported that the operator had plans to take on a Boeing 777 and fly directly to the US.

Myway Airlines renewed its application for an AOC in November of last year after a change in its plans for aircraft acquisition. The renewed application should be issued within 180 days if approved.

In the beginning of February, Georgian news agency GHN reported the launch of another new local airline, Ak-Air Georgia. The carrier will operate LET L-410 turboprops on domestic routes.

The 2017 top 10 operators inside and into Georgia by passenger traffic included three Russian carriers: Aeroflot, which ranked sixth at 198,800 passengers (a 5% market share); Ural Airlines, which came seventh with 174,400 passengers; and S7 Airlines, eighth, at 155,400 (the latter two with a 4% market share each).

According to ATO Sourcebook, Georgia last year entered the top 20 charter destinations for Russian airlines with 36,600 passengers, the first such achievement in several years.