The Georgian government is preparing to announce a new tender for domestic flights, according to Irina Mgebrishvili, Financial and Administrative Manager at AK-Air Georgia.
Mgebrishvili stated that the current contract with AK-Air Georgia has been extended by six months, while discussions during negotiations also touched on the upcoming tender, which would include additional routes. To ensure uninterrupted flight services, the government will need to announce the new tender by April 2026, preceded by a market price study.
“The contract has been extended by six months, until June 30, 2026. We will continue flights on the same schedule, frequency, and routes, and importantly, at the same prices as in the 2025 agreement.
The six-month extension likely reflects preliminary negotiations where the buyer indicated readiness to launch a new tender in spring 2026, including a market study.
For us, it was important to maintain the same conditions, aircraft, frequency, and prices to ensure service continuity. We agreed to continue because the project is important and the contract does not burden the company financially, as pricing and flight frequency were already stabilized in early 2025, which supports the company’s financial sustainability.
Our interest is to continue flights from Natakhtari Airport. The 2026 market study has not yet been announced, but we expect it within the next month or two. Since the current contract ends in June, the tender should likely be announced by mid-April to maintain uninterrupted service.
The project remains the same from the government’s perspective, but the good news is that there are additional routes being considered, and the requirement now is for at least two aircraft and multiple crews, rather than just one aircraft.”
It is noted that the Georgian Airports Association extended Air Georgia’s contract to operate domestic flights through July 2026.
AK-Air Georgia has been operating domestic flights for several years, with the first contract signed in 2018 and extended periodically since then. In 2024, the government announced two tenders for domestic flights totaling over GEL 23 million, but both tenders were canceled due to lack of participation.
