''Ryanair is not Considering Return to Georgian Aviation Market in 2023''

Irakli Karkashadze, the head of the Union of Georgian Airports, recently spoke to BMG and provided an update on Ryanair's potential return to the Georgian aviation market. According to Karkashadze, the largest budget airline in Europe is not expected to consider entering Georgia's aviation market even in 2023.

Karkashadze emphasized that the Georgian side is in constant contact with Ryanair, and they hope that the airline will eventually return to Georgia's aviation market. Before the pandemic, Ryanair's entry into the Georgian market required months of negotiations, which successfully ended in 2019. However, due to the pandemic, the aviation market has changed completely, and the negotiations had to start from the beginning.

Karkashadze noted that Ryanair's entry into the market is an even more complex issue compared to other airlines, as the airline enters the market quite aggressively by offering flights to many destinations. Moreover, the Georgian market needs to be ready for two big players, Ryanair and Wizz Air, to compete with each other. Karkashadze expressed doubts about the Georgian market's ability to support such competition.

While the Union of Georgian Airports is in talks with Ryanair, Karkashadze stated that the airline's entry into the market is not expected by the summer of 2023. He also mentioned that Ryanair does not enter the market with a small number of flights, which poses commercial issues for the Georgian aviation market.

Ryanair entered the Georgian market in 2019 and was operational until March 2020 when the pandemic hit. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Union of Georgian Airports remains hopeful that Ryanair will eventually return to the Georgian aviation market.