Tuesday, March 22 2016 05:19

As promised, the first tickets of Armenia air carrier have become available, and the first flight will be to Tel Aviv. "For the time being, we are offering the cheapest tickets Yerevan-Tel Aviv," Gevorg Khachatryan, the spokesperson for Armenia Airline, told ArmInfo.  

According to AviaGo.ru, online air ticket reservation, tickets for the Yerevan-Tel Aviv flight will be available for reservation up to 7:00pm on March 23. The ticket cost is EUR168.86. Aviasales.ru offers tickets for RUR10,502. However, the tickets for the flights on May 1 and 5 will cost EUR120.  According to Khachatryan, the flights to the given destination will be made twice a week. "As for the Yerevan- Moscow flight that is scheduled for April 21, more details about it will be provided later," he explained.  On March 16, the new air carrier Armenia was certified to launch regular flights. A decision on it was adopted at a discussion on regular commercial air transportation at the Economy Ministry of Armenia. The company plans to fly to 17 destinations. The Ministry will be monitoring the implementation of the company's commitments. 

Armenia airline is expected to launch regular flights on April 21. The first destinations are Tel-Aviv and Moscow. The airline has big ambitions and plans. It will be flying to various cities of Russia, to Tehran, Dubai, Prague, Tel-Aviv, Kiev, Minsk, Barcelona, Larnaca, and London.  Among prior destinations in Russia, the air carrier plans flights to Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, Mineral Waters, and Samara. As for the European destinations, the company plans flights to Germany and Italy.  

The air fleet comprises mainly Boeings 737-700, 737-700 and 737-800. The airline will launch regular flights with 3 leased planes Boeing 737. The air fleet will be replenished with up to 8 aircrafts by the end of the year.  The company plans to buy a CRJ and launch VIP-service on Gulfstrea plane.  The average fleet age will be up to 15 years. The technical service of the fleet will be organized at Lufthansa, in Germany.  "Ticket prices for some destinations will start from EUR49, but not everyone can get such tickets. To buy these tickets, it will be necessary to order them two months ahead. Such tickets will not be subject to return.  For those who will not manage to get these tickets, the flights will cost higher (inclusive of taxes and fees - about EUR 96). The final cost of the tickets will be at least 20%-30% higher than in Georgia. Fuel and many other things are more expensive in Armenia," says Tamaz Gaiashvili, one of the founders of the company.

The "open sky" policy that was announced in the country in 2013 sparked a large-scale exodus of foreign companies from the Armenian market. Consequently, due to the high prices of air tickets, many Armenian passengers prefer to make use of the services of neighboring Georgia, where there are several low- cost European companies.