Baku-Batumi flight opens
Azerbaijan`s state airline AzAL carried out its 19th
new flight on May 21, from Baku to Batumi, Georgia. Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was visiting the Azerbaijani
capital at the time, became the first passenger on board the plane
flying via the route. He flew alongside Azerbaijani Transport
Minister Ziya Mammadov and AzAL President Jahangir Asgarov.
A festive opening ceremony, featuring performances by dance ensembles of Azerbaijan and Georgia`s autonomous region of Ajaria was held at the Batumi airport to mark the first Baku-Batumi flight.
The agreement on an air link between the two countries was reflected in one of the three documents signed by Baku and Tbilisi during the Georgian leader`s visit to Azerbaijan earlier this month.
The flights will be carried out twice a week through the Georgian capital Tbilisi on board new, 70-seat ATR-72-500 planes. The French-made ATR aircraft are specifically earmarked for hovering in mountainous areas and flying in hot weather conditions.
The opening of the air link between Baku and Batumi is seen as a valuable contribution to the historical, economic and cultural relations, and, overall, sincere friendship between the nations of the two South Caucasus republics.
The flight opening overlaps with the outset of the recreation season in Ajaria. Batumi, the capital of Ajaria, is a major port on the Black Sea coast. The town is one of the most favored destinations for vacations not only in Georgia but in the entire Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The spokesman for AzAL, Maharram Safarli, has told AzerNEWS that the company regularly administers a variety of international flights aboard ATR-42-500 and ATR-72-500 planes. The destinations include Tbilisi, Tehran, Astrakhan and Mineralniye Vody in Russia, and Aktau in Kazakhstan.
According to Safarli, AzAL plans to launch new flights to several European, Asian and American cities in 2010-2014.
A festive opening ceremony, featuring performances by dance ensembles of Azerbaijan and Georgia`s autonomous region of Ajaria was held at the Batumi airport to mark the first Baku-Batumi flight.
The agreement on an air link between the two countries was reflected in one of the three documents signed by Baku and Tbilisi during the Georgian leader`s visit to Azerbaijan earlier this month.
The flights will be carried out twice a week through the Georgian capital Tbilisi on board new, 70-seat ATR-72-500 planes. The French-made ATR aircraft are specifically earmarked for hovering in mountainous areas and flying in hot weather conditions.
The opening of the air link between Baku and Batumi is seen as a valuable contribution to the historical, economic and cultural relations, and, overall, sincere friendship between the nations of the two South Caucasus republics.
The flight opening overlaps with the outset of the recreation season in Ajaria. Batumi, the capital of Ajaria, is a major port on the Black Sea coast. The town is one of the most favored destinations for vacations not only in Georgia but in the entire Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The spokesman for AzAL, Maharram Safarli, has told AzerNEWS that the company regularly administers a variety of international flights aboard ATR-42-500 and ATR-72-500 planes. The destinations include Tbilisi, Tehran, Astrakhan and Mineralniye Vody in Russia, and Aktau in Kazakhstan.
According to Safarli, AzAL plans to launch new flights to several European, Asian and American cities in 2010-2014.
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