Why do the airlines leave Armenia?
These days, our compatriots leaving for Egyptian resorts are taking the direction of Georgia, because, especially if they are leaving for vacation with the family, the tour package costs several times cheaper when the flight to Egypt takes place from the Tbilisi airport. The tour packages, true, the tourists obtain from the Armenian tour operators, but almost all of them offer flights from Tbilisi. A few tour companies told about this to Aravot.am. Crossing even 6-hour way and waiting at the airport for a few hours, people anyway come out winning. Instead, they lose our state, and the taxes that could go to our country’s budget go into the pocket of Georgia. Egypt is not the only country where our compatriots take flights from Tbilisi.
Tour operators say that there are people who travel to Bulgaria, Italy, Greece and other European countries also from Georgia and benefit 100-150 euros in each air ticket. 2-3 years ago, the opening of Armenia’s sky by the Government of Armenia still did not mean accepting the airlines openly. Our interlocutor who has worked in the aviation and has a brilliant notion about this industry ensures that if it continues like this, no airline company with international class and reputation will stay in Armenia, in the light of the “terms” which, roughly speaking, are “put on their neck.” As assured by our interlocutor, whose name do not publish for obvious reasons, the Armenian side definitely has a “share” in the airline business, and it is not 5-10 percent, but lion’s shares, which makes the airlines leave our country disappointedly, not willing to share that much share of the revenues just for nothing.
According to the same source, this is a very lucrative business and the reason for the airline companies to leave are not so much high rates of aircraft service in our airport, which are equal to the prices of other international airports but the willingness not to pay the “taxes”. Most recently, several major airlines abandoned our country: the “Czech Airlines”, the “Etihad”, and the Polish ‘Lot’ airline. Months ago, there was a talk about the leaving of the “Austrian Airlines”, but this airline company is still working uninterruptedly, but according to our interlocutor, if the responsible persons of the industry, the government do not try taking actions, then one of the largest potential industries of the country would go wrecked, “and Armenia’s sky will literally be open and the budget – empty.”
Read also
Lusine BUDAGHYAN
