MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tamar Ioseliani met with Nicolas Rallo, the Director of the European and North Atlantic Regional Office of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). 

At the meeting, priority directions of cooperation between Georgia and the International Civil Aviation Organization, the current dynamics of the civil aviation sector development, and future projects were discussed. 

The Deputy Minister introduced the ICAO Regional Director to the record indicators recorded in terms of air traffic, as well as infrastructure projects aimed at increasing the throughput capacity of the country’s airports and improving their operational efficiency. As Tamar Ioseliani noted, in 2025, Georgia served approximately 8,5 million passengers by air, which is 14% more than the same indicator for the previous year. Furthermore, more than 38 thousand flights were performed at the country’s airports, which exceeds the previous year’s data by 17,5%. The cargo turnover indicator was also increased since the airports served 38 578 tons of cargo in 2025, which is by 50% higher number compared to the data of the previous year.

According to the Deputy Minister, the country is consistently developing aviation infrastructure to ensure the service of increased flows in full compliance with international requirements and with appropriate quality. According to Tamar Ioseliani, taking into account the growing dynamics of passenger traffic at Tbilisi Airport, the government is building a new international airport in the capital, which will become operational by the end of 2031; its throughput capacity will be 4 times higher than the existing Tbilisi airport and it will be able to serve 20 million passengers. 

The meeting touched upon the progress shown by Georgia in terms of flight safety and aviation security oversight, which was reflected in ICAO international audit reports and the country’s overall indicators. With these results, in terms of implementing and overseeing aviation safety standards, Georgia’s overall indicator improved to 87,64%, while the aviation security oversight sustainability indicator increased to 89,75%. Nicolas Rallo positively assessed the work performed by the Civil Aviation Agency in terms of improving sector regulation and noted that Georgia is one of the leading countries in the region in the direction of implementing ICAO standards and international practices. 

Particular attention was devoted to the issue of starting flights from the airport illegally opened in occupied Abkhazia. The head of the Georgian delegation expressed gratitude for the international organisation’s support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the meeting, a positive assessment was given to Georgia’s active involvement in the organisation’s working groups and events. 
The Georgian side expressed readiness to continue contributing significantly to activities provided by the ICAO agenda and, additionally, to be a host country for regional or global events relevant to the aviation sphere. 

The meeting was held at the ICAO Regional Bureau in Paris, France. Participants included Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Genadi Arveladze, Head of the Civil Aviation Agency Givi Davitashvili, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of “Sakaeronavigatsia” (Georgian Air Navigation) Levan Karanadze, and Georgia’s Ambassador to France Irakli Kurashvili.