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Economy Minister to hold meeting in China on launching direct flights between Tbilisi and Shanghai

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During her visit to China, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili will conduct another meeting focused on the introduction of direct flights between Tbilisi and Shanghai.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, negotiations have been ongoing for several months with local Chinese airlines to establish regular flights on the Shanghai-Tbilisi-Shanghai route.

“The strategic partnership and economic ties between Georgia and China have grown significantly in recent years. Since signing a free trade agreement in 2018, trade volume has surged, with a 148% increase in turnover by 2025 compared to 2017. Notably, the implementation of the visa-free travel agreement in 2024 has played a major role in boosting both air traffic and tourist arrivals. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of visitors from China rose by 49%, a growth driven by high-capacity direct flights.

In light of these dynamic developments in trade and economic relations, active negotiations are underway to establish additional direct flights, including on the Tbilisi-Shanghai route, where flights have not previously been operated,” the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development stated.

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image Georgia's transport sector posts steady growth; we expect country's transit hub status to strengthen further - Deputy Economy Minister

24.04.2026.16:54

“We are doing everything in our power to ensure that Georgia, as a key link in the Middle Corridor, is reliable, predictable, and fast,” said Tamar Ioseliani, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.

She explained that cargo turnover at Georgia’s ports follows an upward trajectory. According to Ioseliani, the current figures send a very clear signal that the transport sector in Georgia is sustaining stable and dynamic growth, and, crucially, that this growth has now taken on a systemic character.

“2025 was an exceptionally strong year in terms of cargo turnover, marked by consistently dynamic and stable growth. That momentum has carried through into the first quarter of 2026. During the reporting period, our ports handled in excess of approximately 4.3 million tonnes of cargo, representing a growth of around 15 per cent compared with the same period in the previous year. It is also particularly encouraging that growth in container volumes is being maintained; some 188,000 TEUs were processed, reflecting an increase of approximately 6 per cent. It is worth noting that 2025 was a record-breaking year in this regard, with around 750,000 containers handled, a roughly 8 per cent increase over the year before,” the Deputy Minister noted.

Ioseliani stressed that the government is taking every possible measure to increase cargo flows through Georgia, with a considerable number of infrastructure projects currently underway in support of that goal. She added that the current year has got off to a very strong start in terms of freight volumes, and that, should this momentum be sustained, 2026 as a whole stands to be even more fruitful.

“We expect the growth trend to continue throughout the year, and for Georgia’s position as a regional transit hub to be consolidated still further,” said Tamar Ioseliani.

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