Direct Tbilisi-Shanghai flight to boost connectivity, tourism, business relations - Georgian Deputy Economy Minister
Tamar Ioseliani, the Georgian Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, on Wednesday described the launch of the first direct flight between Shanghai and Tbilisi as a very important day for Georgia’s aviation sector, which would significantly enhance connectivity, tourism, and business ties with China.
In her interview with Imedi TV, Ioseliani said the direct connection between Tbilisi and Shanghai will improve accessibility between Georgia and China, facilitate closer people-to-people contacts, and support the growth of tourism and commercial relations.
“The first flight from Shanghai will land at Tbilisi International Airport in about an hour. This is a very important day for the aviation sector because the first direct connection between Tbilisi and Shanghai is being established, which will enhance connectivity between our countries, strengthen people-to-people ties, attract more tourist flows, and deepen business relations”, she said.
The Deputy Minister emphasised Shanghai's global importance as a major financial and economic centre, arguing that direct air links with the city represent a significant opportunity for Georgia.
“As you know, Shanghai is one of the world's largest financial and economic centres, and I believe we all agree that establishing direct connectivity with such a centre is of great importance for our country”, Ioseliani noted.
She also noted that passenger traffic from China increased by 76% last year, resulting in tangible gains for Georgia's tourism sector.
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Georgian Deputy Economy Minister: Georgia maintains its position as a competitive, efficient, reliable partner in Middle Corridor
16.07.2026.21:48
Tamar Ioseliani, the Georgian Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, on Thursday emphasised the trend of maintaining the growth of operational efficiency in Georgian ports in the first half of 2026.
In her remarks, Ioseliani noted that in January-June of this year, the country's ports were able to receive larger tonnage ships.
“In terms of total cargo capacity, we have an increase of approximately 20 percent. This contributes to both the improvement of the port’s throughput and the increase in efficiency. In this regard, it is worth noting the close cooperation between private and public structures. Accordingly, this is a clear and successful example of how public infrastructure should be managed”, she said.
Ioseliani added that appropriate steps had been taken in this direction by both the Maritime Administration and port operators.
“Both the port's water area and the corresponding channel are constantly deepening, and of course, the operational part is free from bureaucracy. If before, the waiting time for ships was 24 hours, now it has been reduced to a minimum, to one hour. The implemented systems, in particular, the one-stop shop principle, really help us in this. This allows us to say that we maintain our position as a competitive, effective and reliable partner in the middle corridor”, she continued.
According to the statistical indicators of the Maritime Transport Agency, in the first 6 months of 2026, the total cargo capacity (gross tonnage) of ships received at Georgian ports increased by 19 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and reached 10.7 million.
In the first three months of 2026, the growth in cargo capacity in tons amounted to 4.4 percent. At the same time, the volume of cargo processed by ports also increased, which once again confirms that Georgian ports are successfully implementing more efficient use of existing infrastructure and increasing the productivity of operations.