Zurab Chankotadze, a veteran pilot, is chairman of Georgia’s Civil Aviation Administration.

As the crow flies, The New Silk Route over Georgia is a modest 600 kilometers, or about 360 miles. While the number of crows over this track are uncertain, somewhere around 100 international airplanes daily navigate the airspace over Georgia, with several dozen landing each 24 hours at the nation’s main airport at Tbilisi. Before these planes touchdown in Georgia they are under the guidance of an extremely efficient air traffic control system, which pays for itself and actually contributes a surplus to the national budget.

Tbilisi has always been the gateway to the Caucasus Region and today’s modern airport continues to serve that function. With daily flights to Moscow and regular non-stop service to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Rome, Istanbul, Zurich and Amsterdam the air traveler has numerous choices. Of course most of these cities have non-stop flights also to the gateway cities in the United States.

At press time a new Georgia-based carrier, Caucasus Airlines, was preparing to offer frequent service connecting the capital cities of Azerbaijan and Armenia with Tbilisi and Batumi, the Black Sea port which is the capital of the Georgian Autonomous Region of Adjara. Other airlines also offer service to these locations, with traffic expected to pick-up as the huge oil pipeline project in the region brings an infusion of business travelers.

Tbilisi’s modern, renovated airport is the gateway to the South Caucasus region and has non-stop flights to the major European capitals with connecting service to most large U.S. cities.

The large air traffic system controlled from Tbilisi manages all domestic and international aircraft in the region utilizing high quality equipment and two recently acquired radars costing a total of $18 million.

Actually the number of flights over Georgia have declined since last September 11, as the flight path from the West to the East often requires entry into the airspace of Afghanistan. Military control of that space has caused air carriers to seek alternative routing. “Things have changed since the events of September 11, with traffic dropping considerably because aircraft have been forced to avoid Afghanistan east of here,” says Alexander Silagadze, Director of Sakaeronavigatsia, the Air Traffic Service of Georgia.

“The main route is from the West to the East. Coming out of Central Europe it goes through the Ukraine, then for 300 km over Russia, over the Black Sea, then Georgia, Azerbaijan and into Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond,” adds Silagadze.

Working in Russian, and increasingly English, planes are guided over Georgian airspace by a workforce of 80. Their safety record is excellent and the managers are hoping for a return to the pre-September 11 traffic volume.

The Air Silk Route of Georgia is run at the sub-ministry level by the Civil Aviation Administration of Georgia, with Zurab Chankotadze as Chairman. The full range of air services, from pilot and plane licensing, to safety procedures, airport management and carrier certification comes under the responsibility of this former Aeroflot pilot, an executive who has an air of confidence and competence. “We are proud of the work we have accomplished here in the transition from the Soviet air system to one we operate and manage on our own,” says Chankotadze.

One major improvement to the entire system has been the recent acquisition of two American built radars, costing $18 million, that provide state-of-the art information for air coverage of Georgia. “Some do call this the “New Silk Route” but in the air we are very much 21st Century,” commented Chairman Chankotadze.

Besides Silagadze, of Air Traffic Services, his subordinates include the Manager of the Airport at Tbilisi, Nodar Abjandze, the focus of most of Georgian Aviation. Here too a program of modernization and renovation has created an airport quite suitable for international traffic. The traveler to Georgia is likely to stop here first.