Routes Silk Road is the route development forum that connects CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia and Routes is delighted to announce that United Airports of Georgia (UAG) under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development has been officially appointed as the Host of the 2014 event which will take place on July 6-8 of this year.

Routes Silk Road, which will be held for the first time instead of Routes CIS, is expected to attract around 250 delegates. The event, which will take place in Tbilisi, the beautiful and historic capital of Georgia, will offer airports, airlines, tourism authorities and other stakeholders the perfect platform to do business and improve air transport networks.

“The passion and commitment of the United Airports of Georgia and its stakeholders impressed our selection team and we are thrilled that Routes Silk Road will take place in Georgia,” said Adrian Newton, Group Director, Transport and Technology, UBM Live: “Georgia is a gateway connecting several important economic regions including Europe, the Newly Independent States (NIS), Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia and as such it is the ideal location for Routes Silk Road and one which we are looking forward to sharing with the broader airline and airport community.”

Minister of Economy Giorgi Kvirikashvili commented: “We are privileged to host Routes Silk Road 2014 in Tbilisi. It is a unique opportunity for Georgian airports, airlines, tourism authority and their stakeholders to further develop its business and expand the network. I believe Tbilisi is a perfect location for this event and it will be a great experience for all attendees. The fact that Georgia is hosting such an event underlines the great dedication of our country to the industry as well as reflecting our aspiration to turn Georgia into a regional hub, in the nearest future, as one of the important points of the historic Silk Road.”

“In recent years Georgia has seen unprecedented growth of air transport, passengers and number of tourists,” added CEO of UAG Kate Aleksidze: “United Airports of Georgia has developed some major infrastructural projects during the last few years and has a lot to show to the international community of the aviation industry.”

The event promises to help its host deliver on its objectives to raise awareness of the destination to the global aviation community and promote the country as an important geographical location. This is underlined by the significant growth in passenger numbers (over 30%) which the country has seen across all Georgian airports since 2012, with further growth expected this year.

The event will also allow the UAG to showcase Kutaisi David the Builder International Airport which opened in 2012. It is the first low cost airport in the region and is focused solely on attracting low cost carriers to facilitate tourism development in Georgia. As a 100% state owned enterprise UAG owns all four airports, which includes three international, in the country and over the last eight years, all airport terminals have been fully rebuilt and modernized.

Located at the crossroad of Europe and Asia, Georgia is the ideal location for Routes Silk Road. The country is a transportation hub with 400km of highways and 600km of air routes passing through it the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) creating the shortest route from Europe to China and Asia. It is a unique and diverse country with a land area of only 70,000 square kilometers mixing an ancient, rich culture with beautiful natural landscapes. Georgia boasts 12,000 historical and cultural monuments, 14 strict nature reserves and 8 national parks. In addition the country is one of the oldest Christian countries and the birthplace of the first European civilization with the discovery of 1.8 million year old human remains in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.