The new carrier "Armenia" will launch regular flights in early April, providing an opportunity to travel to the CIS, European and Asian countries at prices starting from $49, Ruben Grdzelyan, Spokesman for the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia, has told ArmInfo.
He says that the company has already been licensed by the General Department of Civil Aviation to employ aircraft. At the moment, the company is undergoing the final stage of certification to operate regular commercial flights. "If they meet the deadline - and I think they will - the regular flights will be lunched in early April," Grdzelyan says. The number of the planes and the destinations are still a commercial secret. "It is only known that the first flight will be exercised by a Boeing 737-700", he says. He also notes that the new air carrier is recruiting its employees in Armenia and the top management representatives will be from Georgia. "The founders of the "Armenia" air carrier are Ashot Torosyan (51% stake), Tamaz Gaiashvili (25%) and Robert Hovhannisyan (24%). Tamaz Gaiashvili is the founder of the Georgian "Airzena" company and the former chairman of the company's Board of Directors, while Robert Hovhannisyan is the former deputy chairman," Grdzelyan says.
At the same time, he stresses that the entry of the new air carrier into the Armenian market of passenger operations does not at all mean that the country quits the "open skies" policy. "The new air carrier will become a local air company, not a national air carrier despite some media reports," he says.
As regards the reports that the Russian low-cost "Pobeda" company has received a permit to make flights to Armenia, Grdzelyan says that the given company has submitted no application to the Armenian General Department of Civil Aviation so far.
To recall, the national air carrier of Armenia - Armavia - suspended its flights on 1 April 2013 and launched the bankruptcy procedure. In 2014 the same happened to Air Armenia. On October 23, 2013, the Armenian government approved the programme implying provision of competitive and long- term air transportation services in the country. The program is based on a joint study of McKinsey & Company and National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia.
In August 2015, Air Armenia received US$68.6 million from East Prospect Fund in exchange for 49% of its shares. Chief executive of the East Prospect Fund Vladimir Bobylev told reporters in Yerevan that at the first stage they were planning to spend $30mln to buy new planes and to open new flights to Arab states and Southeast Asia and to reschedule the company's debts. "We have chosen Air Armenia because we believe that it can prosper. Our goal is to make Air Armenia the leader of the region," Bobylev said. However, there are no specific results yet. To note, following the liquidation of Armavia, the "open sky" policy resulted in large-scale exodus of foreign companies from the Armenian market. As a result, due to the high prices of air tickets, many Armenian passengers prefer to make use of the services of neighboring Georgia, where there are several low-cost European companies.