Sky Georgia

Sky Georgia
სქაი ჯორჯია

IATA ICAO Call sign QB GFG NATIONAL
Founded	1998 as Air Bisec
Ceased operations	2011
Operating bases	Tbilisi International Airport
Fleet size	1
Headquarters	Tbilisi, Georgia
Website	www.skygeorgia.org

Sky Georgia (Georgian: საერთაშორისო ავიაკომპანია „სქაი ჯორჯია“ - saertašoriso aviaqompania «sqai dzhordzhia») was an airline from Tbilisi, Georgia, operating out of Tbilisi International Airport.^[1]

History

The airline was established in 1998 as Air Bisec.^[2] In 2004, it was renamed Georgian National Airlines.^[2] The current Sky Georgia brand^[3] was adopted in 2008,^[2] when the company was acquired by US-based Sky Investment Group.^[4] In October 2009, the airline ceased all scheduled flights and stated that it would concentrate on cargo rather than on passenger transport.^[4] In January 2010, three Ilyushin Il-76 freighter aircraft were leased.^[4]

Georgy Kodua was general director and CEO of Sky Georgia.^[5][a]

During 2007, the airline (which was called Georgian National Airlines at that time) had a codeshare agreement with airBaltic on the latter's route from Riga to Tbilisi.^[18] In summer 2008, scheduled and charter services were operated from Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi to destinations in Europe and Central Asia.^{[citation needed]} On 9 August 2008, following the outbreak of the 2008 South Ossetia war, Georgian National Airlines was banned from operating into Russia. After the crisis, flights were not resumed.^[18]

Destinations

A Tupolev Tu-134 of Georgian National Airlines in 2006, shortly after take-off at Vnukovo International Airport.

A Sky Georgia Ilyushin Il-76 at Pardubice Airport in 2011.

As of January 2011, the official Sky Georgia timetable does not list any scheduled flights.^[19]

Former destinations

Sky Georgia used to serve the following scheduled destinations^{[citation needed]}:

Asia

• Georgia
  • Batumi - Batumi International Airport
  • Tbilisi - Tbilisi International Airport

Europe

• Belarus
  • Minsk - Minsk International Airport
• Turkey
  • Antalya - Antalya Airport
• Ukraine
  • Kyiv - Boryspil International Airport

Fleet

Historic fleet

Over the years, the airline operated the following aircraft types:

• Tupolev Tu-134B (until 2007)^[18]
• Bombardier CRJ200 (2007–2008)^[18]
• Ilyushin Il-76T (from 2010)^[4]
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50^[20]

Notes

1. In 2006, Georgy Kodua (Russian: Георгий Кодуа) (Georgian: გიორგი კოდუა) who was the president of Georgian National Airlines during the 2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, demanded that Russia compensate Georgian National Airlines for its lost revenue due to Russia closing its airspace to Georgian air carriers. At that time, his brother Irakli Kodua (Russian: Ираклий (Эрекле) Кодуа) (Georgian: ირაკლი (ერეკლე) კოდუა) was the head of the Georgian Internal Affairs Ministry's special department (Russian: спецдепартамента МВД Грузии).^[6][7][8][9] Georgy Kodua is the founder and president of Air Georgia.^{[10] [11]} Georgy Kodua was the founder and president of Air Caucasus.^[12] In February 2016, Georgy Kodua's older brother David Kodua (Russian: Давид Кодуа) (Georgian: დავით კოდუა), a businessman who owns the Commerce Group (Georgian: კომერციული ჯგუფი), was trying to develop the Casino Georgia Hotel into a Hilton Hotel.^[13][14][15] David Kodua was a former business partner of Noshrevan Namoradze (Georgian: ნოშრევან ნამორაძე) who was responsible for the violent 3 May 2014 attack on Davit Kodua.^[12][16][17]

References

1. Flight International 3 April 2007
2. Air Bisec, Georgian National Airlines and Sky Georgia at airlineupdate.com
3. Airlines of Georgia
4. News on Sky Georgia at ch-aviation.ch
5. "New Tbilisi-Kutaisi flight service launched", Vestnik Kavkaza, 7 June 2012, retrieved 22 October 2021
6. Хидирбегишвили, Арно, ed. (3 March 2021). "ГЕОРГИЙ КОДУА: «НАМ, БИЗНЕСМЕНАМ, НЕ НУЖНА ПОМОЩЬ ПРАВИТЕЛЬСТВА! ПРОСТО, ПУСТЬ НЕ МЕШАЮТ…»" [GEORGY KODUA: “WE, BUSINESSMEN, DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF THE GOVERNMENT! JUST DON'T LET THEM INTERFERE ... "]. Грузинформ (in Russian). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
7. Новиков, Владимир (11 February 2008). "Трудности грузинского перевода" [Difficulties in Georgian translation]. "Коммерсантъ Власть" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 October 2021. Alt Archive at compromat.ru on 11 February 2008 as [Путин] "два раза в день мне звонил и умолял: Бадри, переведи меня в Москву, не хочу здесь оставаться": Еще один вариант перевода расшифровки разговора Патаркацишвили и Кодуа, опубликованного в грузинской газете "Алия" ([Putin] "called me twice a day and begged me: Badri, transfer me to Moscow, I don't want to stay here.": Another version of the translation of the transcript of the conversation between Patarkatsishvili and Kodua, published in the Georgian newspaper "Aliya").
8. "Патаркацишвили осуществлял оперативное управление практически всеми бизнес-проектами Березовского в 1990-2000-х: В средине 90-х хотел стать министром внутренних дел России, рассчитывал, что Шеварднадзе сделает его своим наследником в роли президента Грузии, предлагал Саакашвили создать "контролируемую оппозицию"" [Patarkatsishvili carried out operational management of almost all of Berezovsky's business projects in the 1990s-2000s: In the mid-90s, he wanted to become the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, hoped that Shevardnadze would make him his heir in the role of President of Georgia, suggested Saakashvili to create a "controlled opposition"]. compromat.ru (in Russian). 13 February 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
9. "В Лондоне скончался экс-кандидат в президенты Грузии Бадри Патаркацишвили. За расследование взялся Скотланд-Ярд" [Former Georgian presidential candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili died in London. Scotland Yard took over the investigation]. newsru.com (in Russian). 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2021. Alt URL
10. მღებრიშვილი, ვიქტორია (20 October 2020). "გიორგი კოდუა ფრენების აღდგენაზე: "დაგვიანებულია"" [GIORGI KODUA ON RESUMPTION OF FLIGHTS: "IT IS TOO LATE"]. ბიზნეს მედია საქართველო (bm.ge) (in Georgian). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
11. "Глава Air Georgia об авиации и политике" [Air Georgia CEO Aviation and Politics]. "Бизнес Грузия" (bizzone.info) (in Russian). 1 March 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
12. "გიორგი კოდუა: მთავრობა ავიაბაზარზე მონოპოლიებს უზრუნველყოფს" [Giorgi Kodua: The government provides monopolies in the aviation market]. ნეტგაზეთი (in Georgian). 27 May 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
13. გოგბერაშვილი, ელენე (12 February 2016). "დავით კოდუა, სასტუმრო "საქართველოს" შენობის დაცლისთვის, დევნილთა სამინისტროს მილიონ დოლარს გადაუხდის" [DAVIT KODUA TO PAY $ 1 MILLION TO EVACUATE GEORGIA HOTEL BUILDING]. ბიზნეს მედია საქართველო (bm.ge) (in Georgian). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
14. გურაბანიძე, ლიკა (7 August 2018). "დავით კოდუა: Radisson RED-ის და Hampton by Hilton-ის მშენებლობის დაწყებას მერია გაურკვეველი მიზეზით აჭიანურებს" [David Kodua: City Hall Delays Construction of Radisson RED and Hampton by Hilton for Unknown Reason]. კომერსანტი (commersant.ge) (in Georgian). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
15. "დავით კოდუა" [David Kodua]. საერთაშორისო გამჭვირვალობა - საქართველო (Transparency International Georgia) (companyinfo.ge) (in Georgian). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
16. "დავით კოდუა: ვერ ვხსნი, რატომ გამიმეტა ნამორაძემ მოსაკლავად" [Davit Kodua: I can not explain why Namoradze killed me]. ნეტგაზეთი (netgazeti.ge) (in Georgian). 13 August 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
17. "დავით კოდუა: როცა თავს დამესხნენ, ნამორაძე მარტო არ იყო" [Davit Kodua: When I was attacked, Namoradze was not alone]. ნეტგაზეთი (netgazeti.ge) (in Georgian). 18 September 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
18. News on Georgian National Airlines at ch-aviation.ch
19. Sky Georgia online timetable
20. Sky Georgia fleet list at planespotters.net

External links

Media related to Georgian National Airlines at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website