Ireland's Ryanair Announces Flights to Georgia

Ireland’s low-cost commercial airline Ryanair plans to launch flights to Tbilisi, according to reports in local Georgian news media.

Ryanair’s interest in the Georgian air travel market emerged last February when the company’s Chief Commercial Officer David O’Brien met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili. The two sides discussed the growth in interest of low-cost airlines in Georgia, increased tourism in recent years, and prospects for visa liberalization policies that would allow Georgians to travel more easily to the European Union, which supports Ryanair’s expansion into Georgia. Georgia will start a visa-free regime with EU member countries beginning March 28, which is expected to benefit passenger airlines, including Ryanair.

Ryanair was established in 1984 and is one of the world’s most in-demand low-cost airlines. During its 32 years of operation, the company has served millions of passengers, with more than 90 million travelers in 2015 alone. As of 2015, the airline was operating out of 191 airports worldwide.