newstodate.aero

Aug 16, 2024 (newstodate): Georgia in the Caucasus region has caught the eyes of Chinese travelers - and investors.
   So much so that Air China has announced the opening of flights on a new route from Urumqi in Xinjiang to Georgia's capital Tbilisi, starter from September with three weekly rotations.
   Already in the market Georgia-China is China Southern Airlines with one weekly from Urumqi since January 2023, returning to Tbilisi after a hiatus during the pandemic.
   China Southern Airlines started operating the route from June 9, 2011, with three weekly rotations as the first-ever direct scheduled non-stop air services between the two countries.  
   In 2023, the number of visitors from China to Georgia amounted to 48,304, steeply up 554.5 percent, y-o-y.
   On the air cargo side, Tbilisi serves as an en-route point for freighter operations from China's Kashgar International Airport, in the Xinjiang province, to Budapest launched on January 15, 2022.
   Chinese capital is also behind the Georgian carrier MyWay Airlines, part of the activities of the Chinese investment group Hualing that is also behind the establishing of a new industrial zone in Kutaisi as well as numerous real estate projects in Tbilisi and Kutaisi.