Georgian Airways
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Georgian Airways ( ka, ჯორჯიან ეარვეისი), formerly Airzena, is the privately owned
flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hi ...
of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, with its headquarters in
Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...
. Its main base is
Tbilisi International Airport Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport ( ka, თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი) , formerly ''Novo Alexeyevka In ...
.
Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's olde ...
3 April 2007
The company filed for bankruptcy on December 31, 2021, linked to a restructuring procedure and it has been for sale since January 2022. The airline continues to operate a limited number of profitable flights during the restructuring phase.


History

The airline Airzena was established in September 1993. Initially, Airzena operated charter flights to the United Arab Emirates, Italy, China, Egypt, India, and Syria, as well as a regularly scheduled flight to Vienna. The company managed to achieve recognition and retain its share in the aviation market during the economically and politically complicated period of the 1990s. In 1999 Airzena became the flag carrier of Georgia. In August 2004, the company changed its name to ''Georgian Airways.'' During the first half of the 2000s, the airline's management decided to modernise the fleet, and leased two
Boeing 737-500 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...
s from
Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd AG is a German international shipping and container transportation company. Hapag-Lloyd was formed in 1970 through a merger of Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG) and North German Lloyd. History The company was formed on September 1, 1 ...
. This was the first case of a Georgian airline operating up-to-date Western equipment.


Russian sanctions

Following what Russia perceived as anti-Russian protests in June 2019, it banned all flights to/from Georgia starting July 8, 2019. Georgian Airways flights to Moscow-Vnukovo have since been operated by
Aircompany Armenia Aircompany Armenia LLC is an Armenian airline that was founded on 25 November 2015 and commenced operations on 21 April 2016. Its headquarters are located in Yerevan. History Aircompany Armenia was founded on 25 November 2015 by Tamaz Gaishv ...
through Yerevan. The ban was still in effect by 2022.


Bankruptcy

Georgian Airways filed for bankruptcy on December 31, 2021, linked to restructuring proceedings, and the airline was put up for sale in January 2022. The airline is in debt of (), against in assets. The causes include the Russian flight ban since July 2019, but most of all the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
hit the airline hard. The Georgian authorities banned international air traffic for 11 months, with the exception of a number of monthly government mandated flights for repatriation purposes (operated by Georgian Airways). Georgian Airways cut back on its fleet (such as disposing of its Embraer planes) but with the Georgian resumption of international air traffic in February 2021, it could only offer six destinations. The insolvency plan focusses on the year-round profitable routes (Amsterdam, Tel Aviv and Minsk) and a few profitable seasonal charters, while guaranteeing these flights. Georgian Airways indicated in January 2022 that it would continue to operate the flights.


Destinations

As of April 2022, Georgian Airways operates scheduled services from
Tbilisi International Airport Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport ( ka, თბილისის შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი) , formerly ''Novo Alexeyevka In ...
to destinations in
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, while it jointly sells (but not operates) flights to
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...
and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.


Partners

Georgian Airways partners with the following airlines: *
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
*
Aegean Airlines Aegean Airlines S.A. ( el, Αερογραμμές Αιγαίου Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία ''Aeroporía Aigaíou Anónimi Etairía'', ) is the flag carrier airline of Greece and the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carr ...
*
Air Astana Air Astana ( kk, Эйр Астана, translit=Eir Astana; russian: Эйр Астана́, translit=) is an airline group based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It operates scheduled international and domestic services on 64 routes from its main hub, Alma ...
*
Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...
*
Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its ...
*
Azerbaijan Airlines Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
*
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
*
Hahn Air Hahn Air is a minor German airline headquartered in Dreieich, offering business jet scheduled and charter flights within Europe from its base at Düsseldorf Airport. The company's core business, however, is a ticketing solution that gives trav ...
* Iran Air *
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
*
Olympic Air Olympic Air S.A. ( el, Ολυμπιακή) is a regional airline, a subsidiary of the Greek carrier Aegean Airlines. It was formed as part of the privatization of the former Greek national carrier Olympic Airlines, a company that carried the n ...
*
S7 Airlines S7 Airlines, legally JSC Siberia Airlines (russian: АО «Авиакомпания "Сибирь"», "АО Aviakompania Sibir"), is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. As of 2008, it was Russia's ...
*
Transaero Transaero (russian: Трансаэро), officially ''OJSC Transaero Airlines'' (russian: ОАО «АК „ТРАНСАЭРО“», Открытое акционерное общество «Авиационная компания „ТРАНС ...
*
Ukraine International Airlines Ukraine International Airlines PJSC, often shortened to UIA ( uk, Авіакомпанія Міжнародні Авіалінії України, Aviakompaniya Mizhnarodni Avialiniyi Ukrayiny, ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of ...


Fleet


Current fleet

The Georgian Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft as of July 2022:


Former fleet

The airline fleet previously included the following aircraft (inconclusive list): *
Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...
*
Boeing 737-400 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...
*
Boeing 737-500 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...
*
Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...
* Bombardier CRJ100ER *
Embraer 190 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ...
*
Embraer 195 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding E ...


Safety rating, accidents and incidents

Georgian Airways has a 7/7 safety rating, the highest level, in AirlineRatings.https://www.airlineratings.com/ratings/georgian-airways/ using these criteria; https://www.airlineratings.com/safety-rating-criteria/ This site is referred to by https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/world-best-airline-airlineratings/ and http://uk.businessinsider.com/best-airlines-2018-airlineratings-2017-11. Georgian Airways is not rated in
Skytrax Skytrax (originally known as Inflight Research Services) is a United Kingdom–based consultancy which runs an airline and airport review and ranking site. Services Skytrax conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as taking survey ...
.
*On 4 April 2011,
United Nations Flight 834 On 4 April 2011, Georgian Airways Flight 834, a Bombardier CRJ100 passenger jet of Georgian Airways operating a domestic flight from Kisangani to Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) crashed while attempting to land at N'djili Airport, ...
, a charter flight for a United Nations mission, operated by a Georgian Airways Bombardier CRJ100ER (registered as 4L-GAE) crashed at
N'djili Airport N'djili Airport (french: Aéroport de N'djili ), also known as N'Djili International Airport and Kinshasa International Airport, serves the city of Kinshasa and is the largest of the four international airports in the Democratic Republic of th ...
,
Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo, while flying at very low altitude in 'extremely inclement' weather. 32 of the 33 people on board were killed.


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Airlines established in 2004 Airlines of Georgia (country) 1994 establishments in Georgia (country) Brands of Georgia (country)