Armenia air company opens ticketing to Lebanon, promises flights to London and tries to remain at the market

ArmInfo. Armenia Air  Company  opens flights to Lebanon. Flights to London will become available  since  May, and already by this summer Armenian air company promises  to launch regular flights to Barselona and Brussels. This was stated  by Gevorg Khachatryan,  the Deputy Director of Armenia  Air Company   during his conversation with ArmInfo reporter on January 31 in  Yerevan. 

New flights from Yerevan to Lebanon will be launched on April 3. The  flight will be implemented by Boeing air craft on Mondays at 7:00 AM  (local time). The flight time is 2 hours and 25 minutes. The price of  ticket will  be at 170 EUR. All the documentation is received and we  plan to opent the fligh in the nearest future," Gevorg  Khachatryan  stated. 

What is to European routes, announced yer in March 2016, the company  will start implementing the flights to London starting with May.  According to clarifications  of Armenia representative, these flights  will be implemented within joint efforts of Armenian and Georgian  company of Georgian Airways. Starting the route in Yerevan, the craft  will  pick also passengers from Tbilisi and fly to London..  The  company plans also to set regular flights to Teheran starting from  March.  By today, regular flights are implemented to Voronezh and  Minvody. 

To recall, on 16 March 2015 "Armenia" air carrier received a   certificate to make regular flights. The relevant decision was taken   during a meeting at the Armenian Ministry of Economy. At present, the  company's fleet includes two Boeings - 737-500 and 737-700, though   the business plan stipulated 6 planes.  

The founders of the "Armenia"  air carrier are Ashot Torosyan (51%  stake), Tamaz Gaiashvili (25%)  and Robert Hovhannisyan (24%). Tamaz  Gaiashvili is the founder of the  Georgian "Airzena" company and the  former chairman of the company's  Board of Directors, while Robert  Hovhannisyan is the former deputy chairman.

To recall, the national air carrier of Armenia - Armavia - suspended  its flights on 1 April 2013 and launched the bankruptcy procedure. In  2014 the same happened to Air Armenia. On October 23, 2013, the  Armenian government approved the programme implying provision of  competitive and long-term air transportation services in the country.   The program is based on a joint study of McKinsey & Company and  National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia.  The "open sky"  policy that was announced in the country in 2013 sparked a large-  scale exodus of foreign companies from the Armenian market. 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.