Representatives of the Georgian airline Georgian Airways are extremely disappointed with the result of the launch of flights to Russia – they are flying half-empty. However, the reason why Russians refuse these flights en masse is banal – the prices are sky-high and tourists refuse to buy them. The media cited Russians who were considering a trip to Georgia but refused to buy tickets. All of them indicate one main reason – the price.
“Horror how expensive! Tickets from Moscow to Tbilisi on Georgian Airways cost from 60,000 to 66,000 rubles ($820) there and back, our airlines are only 3,000 rubles cheaper,” said a tourist from St. Petersburg. According to him, you can fly to Thailand for the same amount of money, and to India for half the price. No normal tourist will pay such “crazy money” for Georgia.
“Georgia has always been a destination for budget tourists, for people who don’t have enough money,” the tourist from Moscow clarifies. As a result, the target audience will prefer to “fly to Armenia for 15-20 thousand rubles ($185-250) there and back, and from there get to Tbilisi by minibus,” – a confident tourist.
The carrier’s calculations that Tbilisi could become a hub on the way from Russia to Europe were not destined to come true for the same reasons, another commentator is sure. “Tickets are more expensive than in Turks. Frankly profiting. It is more economical to fly to Delhi, the prices for Georgia are crazy,” tourists write.
As a result, the Georgian carrier will be able to “hope for the best” only if it brings the prices to the budget level. But, it seems, it is not necessary to count on it.