First regular air service connects Shymkent, Kazakhstan and Tbilisi, Georgia

Image: United Airports of Georgia

Kazakh privately held carrier SCAT Airlines has launched a new direct route connecting Shymkent (CIT) and Tbilisi (TBS).

The inaugural flight, which established the first-ever regular air link between southern Kazakhstan’s major hub and the Georgian capital, took off today, on December 15.

The route will be served twice weekly, utilizing Boeing 737MAX-8 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

This development bolsters air connectivity between Kazakhstan and Georgia, the strategic partners in the “Middle Corridor” (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route).

Over the past 11 months, Georgian airports served over 304,000 passengers on routes between the two countries—a 10% increase from the same period last year, according to Levan Moseshvili, general director of United Airports of Georgia.

For the winter season, three Kazakh airlines now operate a total of five routes connecting the two countries. In addition to SCAT’s new service, Air Astana flies from Almaty to Tbilisi, while LCC FlyArystan serves Kutaisi from Aktau, Almaty, and Astana.

During the summer schedule, three seasonal routes were also available, including Air Astana’s flights to Tbilisi from Astana and Atyrau, and FlyArystan’s service from Shymkent to Kutaisi.