Note: the situation described below reflects 2020, when pandemic restrictions were still in force. For what has changed since then and what determines the price of an air ticket today, see the second half of this article.
The coronavirus pandemic brought a great many changes to aviation. Because of the regulations that were introduced to prevent the spread of the infection, airlines found themselves facing enormous challenges.
The closing of borders between countries and the sharp reduction in flight frequencies hit the industry hardest of all. Georgia, for instance, still has its airspace closed to many countries. Scheduled traffic operates to only three countries, and most charter flights are aimed solely at taking passengers out of Tbilisi.
All of this, naturally, changed Aviabiletebi prices. The more expensive flights left travellers unhappy, yet there are several reasons why the increase was unavoidable.
Demand is greater than supply
When airlines had their destinations and the number of their flights restricted, it turned out that demand for tickets remained far higher. Demand was driven up above all by the number of people wanting to return home, who had been stranded abroad when the borders closed.
Where before the pandemic an airline operated a given route daily, today it is allowed only one or two flights a week. On top of that, in most cases a single airline serves a single route, which leaves customers no choice at all and forces them to accept whatever conditions are on offer. It is precisely this combination of high demand and no alternative that lets airlines sell tickets at high prices.
Commercial flights in one direction only
Another reason air tickets became more expensive is that commercial flights are operating in one direction only. Certain charter flights out of Georgia serve nothing but the removal of passengers from the country. Flights to Minsk, Kyiv and Warsaw, for example, carry passengers only out of Tbilisi.
Airlines send their aircraft into Tbilisi airport empty and fly them out of Tbilisi full. All of this, of course, costs the airlines money, and that is exactly why they raise the price of their tickets.
High-cost airlines
The airlines operating on the Georgian market today are on the more expensive side. Lufthansa, for example, was not known for budget fares even before the pandemic, and its service has always been costly.
As a result, carriers that were already expensive have become even more expensive because of the new regulations and rules. Why were airlines of this kind chosen in the first place? This is a strategy worked out by the state, with the aim of keeping passenger numbers to a minimum in order to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. On the one hand, air travel to the country has been restored to some degree; on the other, not everyone can afford to use it, since a one-way ticket costs on average between 1,500 and 3,000 GEL.
How passengers are seated on the aircraft
Under the rules drawn up for the industry, passengers are seated with the middle seat left empty. Because airlines cannot fill the aircraft completely, they sell the seats they do have at a higher price and make up for the empty ones that way.
Tickets that are simply out of reach
Some airlines do not publish their tickets openly on a website, so those tickets are not available to everyone. In Georgia, for example, the LOT representative office does not put Warsaw tickets into the online system and does not allow customers to buy them by themselves.
The representative office of Aegean Airlines works on the same principle, keeping the right to sell Athens tickets entirely to itself. Given that demand on these two routes is considerable, anyone wishing to travel is obliged to turn to these agencies in order to buy air tickets.
The depreciation of the lari
And finally, the depreciation of the lari always has an effect, and it has become particularly noticeable of late. Together with the reasons listed above, the further weakening of the lari is what produced such a steep rise in the cost of air tickets.
What has changed since the pandemic
The pandemic restrictions were lifted long ago and Georgia’s aviation market has recovered in full. The borders are open, scheduled flights serve dozens of destinations, and competition between airlines is far stronger than it was in 2020. It is that competition which has brought back fares that seemed unthinkable during the pandemic.
The biggest change of all has happened in the low-cost segment. Kutaisi International Airport has grown into a base for low-cost airlines — Wizz Air, Pegasus Airlines, Belavia, FlyArystan and other carriers operate from there. Kutaisi is now the second-busiest airport in Georgia: in 2024 it handled more than 1.7 million passengers.
At Tbilisi airport full-service airlines still dominate, but the number of routes keeps growing there too: recent seasons have added new direct flights to European cities, among them Copenhagen, Cologne and Frankfurt. Batumi airport, meanwhile, is mainly geared towards seasonal summer destinations.
What determines the price of an air ticket
The price of an air ticket is never a random number — it is built up from several constant factors, and they work exactly the same way now as they did before the pandemic:
- The cost of fuel — jet fuel is one of an airline’s largest expenses and often accounts for around a quarter of operating costs. A change in the oil price usually shows up in ticket prices with a lag of several months.
- Competition on the route — when several airlines serve the same route, the price almost always falls. A monopoly held by a single carrier has the opposite effect.
- Seasonality — summer, the New Year period and school holidays count as peak times. The cheaper periods are the second half of autumn and the stretch from mid-January to spring.
- When you book — airlines sell tickets in what are known as fare classes: the cheapest class sells first, and the fuller the flight becomes, the more the remaining seats cost.
- Airport and state charges — a significant share of the ticket price never stays with the airline at all; it goes on airport, security and government charges.
- The exchange rate — a large part of an airline’s costs is in dollars (fuel, aircraft leasing, maintenance), so movements in the lari feed straight through to the price expressed in lari.
How to find a cheaper air ticket
- Book ahead: one to three months in advance is about right for European destinations, three to six months for long-haul flights.
- Compare both airports — flying from Kutaisi is often considerably cheaper than flying from Tbilisi, though you should factor in the time and cost of getting to the airport.
- Be flexible with dates: midweek flights are usually cheaper than Friday and Sunday departures.
- With low-cost airlines, always work out the final price including baggage — hold luggage, seat selection and sometimes check-in are all charged separately.
- Consider flights with a connection: a single stopover is often noticeably cheaper than flying direct.
- With traditional airlines a return ticket is often cheaper than two one-way tickets bought separately.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the price of a ticket change several times a day?
Airlines use dynamic pricing: the seats on each flight are divided into several fare classes, and as soon as a cheap class sells out the system automatically moves on to the next, more expensive one. That is why a price can change within a single day.
Does a ticket really get more expensive if I keep searching for the same flight?
This is a widespread belief, but the main reason a price goes up is not your search history — it is the cheaper fare classes selling out. If you want to be sure, check the same flight from another device or in your browser’s incognito mode.
How far in advance should I buy a ticket?
There is no universal rule, but in practice the best fares on medium-haul European routes are sold one to three months ahead. In peak season — summer and the New Year holidays — it is worth booking earlier still.
Is flying from Kutaisi genuinely cheaper?
As a rule, yes — Kutaisi is served mainly by low-cost airlines and the base fare is lower. All the same, your final cost has to include baggage and the journey to the airport; sometimes a direct flight from Tbilisi works out better.
Does the lari exchange rate affect ticket prices?
Yes. A large part of an airline’s costs is in foreign currency, so a stronger or weaker lari feeds through to the fares quoted in lari — even when the airline’s own pricing policy has not changed at all.