New Tbilisi-Beijing Flight to Begin in September

TBILISI – China Southern Airlines will launch a new route Beijing-Urumqi-Tbilisi beginning September 22, Georgia’s Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development said in a press release.

The route will connect the two capitals via Urumqi, a city located in western China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region that was once a major transport hub along the old Silk Road.

The new flights were announced after a meeting last week between Georgia’s Civil Aviation Agency and Chinese air travel authorities. Representatives from Air China, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines also met with the Georgia delegation to discuss expanding the number of air routes between the two countries.

Chinese airlines have begun showing greater interest in expanding their services to Georgia to tap into the emerging tourist and investment markets.

China’s Hualing Group registered a new airline in May that will be based in Georgia and carry out flights to Asia and Europe.

Trade and economic relations between China and Georgia have increased significantly over the last year. 4,424 Chinese citizens visited Georgia since the beginning of the year, a 52.3 per cent year-on-year increase from 2015.

By Eka Karsaulidze

Edited by Nicholas Waller