Georgia’s Airports Association announced that Kazakh airline SCAT Airlines has launched its first direct flight between Shymkent and Tbilisi, making a new addition to air connections between Georgia and Kazakhstan. The inaugural flight carried 166 passengers in both directions.
The new route will operate twice a week, strengthening travel links between the two countries. The first flight was welcomed at Tbilisi International Airport with an official event attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Khvtisiashvili, Airports Association Director General Levan Moseshvili, TAV Georgia General Manager Tea Zakaradze as well as representatives of the Civil Aviation Agency and SCAT Airlines.
Officials pointed out that Kazakhstan is a strategic partner for Georgia, playing an important economic and transit-logistics role within the Middle Corridor. Shymkent is now the fifth Kazakh city connected to Georgia by direct flights this year.
Currently, air traffic between Georgia and Kazakhstan is served by three airlines: Air Astana and SCAT Airlines from Tbilisi International Airport and FlyArystan from Kutaisi International Airport.
Passenger traffic between the two countries continues to grow. Over the past 11 months, Georgian airports handled more than 304,000 passengers traveling between Georgia and Kazakhstan, an increase of 10% compared to the same period last year.
