ArmInfo. 2016 was marked with entry of a number of airline companies into Armenian air market, Head of General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia Sergey Avetisyan stated at the press conference summing up the results of the year.
Sergey Avetisyan recalled that ''Armenia'' local company (the founders of the "Armenia" air carrier are Ashot Torosyan (51% stake), Tamaz Gaiashvili (25%) and Robert Hovhannisyan (24%) ) received certificate on March 16 for carrying out regular flights. According to preliminary plans the company intended to carry out regular flights on 17 directions. The company was to launch flights from April 21 to Tel Aviv and Moscow. The company planned to carry out flights to Tehran, Dubai, Prague, Kiev, Minsk, Barcelona, Larnaca, and London. Russia was named as one of priority directions and the company planned to carry out flights not only to Moscow but also to Sochi, Rostov-na-Donu, Mineralniye Vodi and Samara. Flights to Germany and Italy were also planned. As of today the air fleet comprises two planes: Boeings 737- 500 and 737-700, while the business plan envisaged operation with 6 planes. The company planned to carry out 75 flights monthly to 6 directions, while currently it flies to Tehran, Min-Vodi, Voronezh and Moscow. According to the Deputy Head of the Company Gevorg Khachatryan has told ArmInfo that the company plans to launch flights to Beirut and Europe from April.
The Head of GDCA has also stated that besides Armenia entry of such giants of aviation market as Qatar Airways and Brussels Airline can be considered as achievement of civil aviation. On May 16 Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Hugh Dunleavy stated that Qatar Airways is ready to conduct 4 flights a week on Yerevan-Doha- Yerevan route connecting Armenia with more than 150 countries of the world. The flights on route Doha-Yerevan-Doha by A 320 aircraft are carried out every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. In the future, the flights will be made on a daily basis to achieve more financial efficiency. As regards the price policy, Hugh Dunleavy said that it will be "dynamic, flexible and competitive". ''The company has found its passenger both in Armenia and abroad in a very short period of time. We already see that there is a high flow of tourists who visit Armenia due to Qatar Airway'', Avetisyan stated.
The official also recalled that entry of Brussels Airlines into local market was announced two weeks ago. '' As of today one flight is carried out from Yerevan to Brussels once in two weeks. In spring-summer season the flights will be carried out twice in a week'', he noted.
To note, according to GDCA by the end of 2016 passenger flow through Yerevan ''Zvartnots'' international airport will exceed 2 mln. As of today the following companies carryout flights to Armenia: "Armenia", Aegean Airways, Georgian Airways, Iraqi Airways, Al Naser, Mahan Air, Middle East airways, S7 Airlines, Czech, LOT, Russian ''Saratov Airlines'' and '' Ural Airlines'', ". Nordwind Airlines'', " PEGAS FLY'', UTair", "Pobeda'' Russian low-cost company.
