My Way Airline Lays Groundwork to Launch in Georgia

Major Chinese company Hualing Group is laying the groundwork for a new airline in the Georgian market. Under the name My Way, the company ran its first charter flight in March from Tbilisi to Tehran, and plans to start regular routes next month from Tbilisi and Batumi international airports to European destinations. The first routes are expected to be to Tehran, Kiev, Minsk, Tel Aviv and Dubai, adding Urumqi, China, in August. Later in the year, flights are planned to Russian destinations Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Samara. Regular flights were originally planned to begin from April, but have been postponed to a June start date, although tickets are not yet on sale and detailed route information is still not available.

The company currently has two Boeing 737-800s and will purchase two additional aircraft by the end of 2018. Chief Commercial Director of My Way Airlines, Igor Aptsiauri, previously served as First Deputy Director of the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency. He will be responsible for the commercial strategy and development of the company. According to Aptsiauri, over $50 million has been invested in the company so far.

Aptsiauri pitches My Way as a much-needed addition to the Georgian market. Currently, international transit accounts for only 5-6% of Tbilisi International Airport’s traffic, and My Way aims to eventually raise that number up to 40% through increased volume and new destinations. “What we see from Georgian Airways is they have their own niche market, they have their historical routes,” said Aptsiauri in an interview with Forbes, “If you look at their development over the last ten years, it’s the same routes, it’s the same frequencies, the same fleet. They are more or less concentrating on their niche market … I guess [until now] they were pretty much happy with the situation that they were in... but, in the future, we [at My Way] will also concentrate on connecting and transit passengers. I think in this way we will … be at some point bigger than Georgian Airways.”

Georgian Airways is the country’s flag-carrier but makes up less than one-sixth of the passenger traffic at Tbilisi International Airport with its fleet of eight aircraft. As My Way introduces more competition to the Georgian market, Georgian Airways stepped up its own game. In March, just days after My Way released its plans, Executive Director of Georgian Airways Givi Davitashvili held a press conference at which he announced 11 new European and Russian routes, bringing the number of direct flights the company offers up to 21. Davitashvili tried to differentiate his airline from the competition, saying, “Georgian Airways is...generally oriented on day-time flights to make our customers feel safer during the flight. Additional comfort and flight safety are two major priorities that we want to fully accomplish to create satisfaction among our passengers.”

In three years, My Way plans to add a Boeing 777 to its fleet, a wide-body aircraft capable of long-haul flights, allowing for routes such as the United States, Beijing, and India. Aptsiauri says such a plane “will be a ‘novelty’ for the Georgian market,” and that there is customer demand.

My Way has an ambitious five-year business plan to turn Tbilisi into a regional transit hub between Europe and Asia. Currently, the largest intercontinental transit airports are Dubai and Istanbul, offering fierce competition. Dubai has set records for passenger numbers, and in 2016 was the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic. It currently ranks number three for total passengers behind Atlanta and Beijing, but projections say Dubai could overtake Atlanta to reach the number one spot in the next three years. Istanbul’s new mega-airport is due to open on October 29 with the long-term goal of becoming the world’s busiest airport with six runways and the capacity for 200 million passengers. In its first phase, it plans to serve 90 million passengers.

Although Chinese owned, My Way brands itself as a distinctly Georgian company. For Georgian Independence Day on May 26, My Way flight crews paraded down Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi, in crisp blue and white uniforms, carrying bouquets of balloons for children. If My Way manages to fulfill its business plan, the Georgian airline market may be looking at a serious shift, and the increased competition is likely to lead to more satisfied passengers – both local and in transit.

By Samantha Guthrie