The President of Georgia attended the ceremony of the signing of a cooperation memorandum between “Wizz Air” airline and the Union of Georgian Airports at the Kutaisi International Airport today. Mikheil Saakashvili addressed the gathered crowd and noted that Wizz Air entering Georgia is an important event. According to the President, the fact that Wizz Air appeared on the Georgian market will assist development of tourism in Georgia and create additional jobs in the Imereti region.
The President strictly criticized the exaggerated tariffs, which are artificially increased at the Tbilisi and Batumi Airports.
According to Mikheil Saakashvili, the entering of new airlines and construction at the Kutaisi International Airport are serving the people, and all government agencies are mobilized to lessen the existing poverty in the region.
“This is the main purpose of the airport, this is why it is being built, this is why the Parliament was relocated here and this is why Tskaltubo is being built 7 kilometers away from here. The Kutaisi airport belongs to Tskaltubo, Sairme, Abastumani, Akhatlsikhe, where we are building a new road now, also Vani, where a great tourist center is being built and a lot of money is being invested in development of a tourist infrastructure. Kutaisi Airport also belongs to nearby Samtredia, Zestaponi, Bagdati. This is an airport for all of Georgia because either the prices will decrease in Tbilisi and Batumi or people will come to Kutaisi from there.
The functioning process of this airport will develop Mestia and Anaklia. This is also very important for Poti, before the Poti Airport is opened in several months. All of Guria will use this airport – Ureki, Bakhmaro and Samegrelo region as well. Many things are being done in Kutaisi in order to ease people’s lives because they have a lot of other problems and they have to cope with economic poverty every day. All of this is necessary for them to feel relief” – stated the President of Georgia.
Deputy Director of the new “Union of Georgian Airports” Giorgi Molodinashvili and General Director of the company “Wizz Air” Akos Basi, signed the memorandum.
Wizz Air is the largest low budget airline in Central and Eastern Europe. Wizz Air will conduct direct flights to Kiev beginning in September 2012.
The flights of Wizz Air will begin on September 27th. The ticket sale has begun today and a Kutaisi – Kiev flight ticket will cost 22 Euros.
The memorandum signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Economic Development Vera Kobalia and Executive Vice President of Wizz Air Ukraine John Stephenson.