USA and Georgian aviation officials agreed to deepen technical cooperation

Within the working visit to the USA on considering the launching of  Georgia-USA direct flights representatives of the aviation authorities of the two countries held meeting, where the Georgian side was represented by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Akaki Saghirashvili and the Civil Aviation Agency Director, Levan Karanadze. The guests were received by the Deputy Director of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Lirio Liu, Executive Director for International Affairs Chris Rocheleau and the Deputy Director, Office of Safety Standards, Robert Ruiz.

At the meeting in Washington, the parties discussed the procedural issues necessary for the commencement of direct aviation traffic between the two countries and agreed to deepen technical cooperation between the aviation authorities. They also focused on sharing international best practices and training flight safety inspectors.

The Director of the Civil Aviation Agency briefly informed the US side on the progress in aviation safety and security oversight and the results of an audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Georgia, indicating that the country is in the leading position in the region. Levan Karanadze also spoke about the implementation of the EU regulations and directives and the work carried out by the Civil Aviation Agency, which indicates the high level of safety and protection of passengers in the country.

The Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Akaki Saghirashvili noted that the close relation between the US and Georgian aviation authorities is one of the contributing factors to launching the direct flights between the partner countries. “Deepening cooperation with the US Federal Aviation Administration and sharing their experience will help Georgian aviation authorities to further improve the quality of supervision as well as in institutional strengthening, which in turn, will be one of the factors contributing to launching the air communication between the two countries,” – the Deputy Minister commented. 

“The US Federal Aviation Administration is one of the most advanced and powerful aviation authorities in the world which in cooperation international aviation organizations is setting the agenda in this field. Cooperation with the FAA will further improve flight safety standards in our country. Close links are extremely important in terms of launching direct flights between the two countries ,” – the director of the Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia, Levan Karanadze said. 

The Georgian delegation, led by the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Natia Turnava, held meetings with the representatives of the United Airlines and the Delta Airlines. The Embassy of Georgia in the USA, along with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, was actively involved in organizing the visit.