"Fact" daily writes:
There have been regular consultations and discussions regarding the development of the aviation sector in Armenia, but this direction, as they say, does not come to mind. There are no major Armenian airlines, our aircraft fleet is mostly old, and the existing Armenian air carriers provide very low quality services and are not competitive in the international market.
At the same time, there are complaints that the prices of services at Yerevan International Airport are very high, and this is in the case when there is not a very large passenger flow, and it is necessary to conduct such a flexible price policy to attract passengers. On the other hand, the lack of passenger flow is due to the fact that there are no appropriate infrastructures.
If there were these infrastructures, Armenia could also become a transit route for various air carriers, because the position of our country is favorable, taking into account that we are located on the roads connecting the east to the west, the north to the south. The next problem is that the standards of international aviation requirements are not observed, and as a result, Armenia has appeared on the EU aviation "black list" until now, and no steps are being taken to get out of this situation. The training of relevant specialists is also not at a sufficient level.
Another problem is the diversification of aviation routes, especially when there is a need for direct flights to several destinations. It will make it possible to shorten the journey to a number of countries, which will also attract passengers from other countries. Within Armenia, there is also a problem of development of aviation communications. Only the potential of "Zvartnots" airport is not enough, it is necessary to have alternative options.
But the Gyumri airport is still far from meeting the international standards, because there are no different flight paths, mainly the flights from Gyumri are either to Yerevan or to Russia. This airport does not have the necessary developed infrastructure that will facilitate flights.
The same applies to Kapan airport. It is worrying that the number of flights is quite small. For example, in the first quarter of 2024, only 12 flights were made between Yerevan-Kapan-Yerevan. During the mentioned period, 41 passengers departed from Yerevan to Kapan, and 55 passengers in the opposite direction.However, it is necessary to create conditions for more intensive flights between Kapan and Yerevan, as a result of which the connection will become faster and more comfortable. Apart from that, it is very important that the Kapan airport also acquires international importance. It is also of strategic importance. But there are no steps towards modernizing the airport and raising its importance to the international level.
Even the representatives of Iran suggest that they can use the opportunities provided by the Kapan airport to ensure Armenia-Iran connection. Azerbaijan is not only worried about the fact that the ties between Armenia and Iran can be strengthened through it, but also that the Kapan airport can also serve military purposes. and in the direction of testing UAVs.
Kapan airport is in an important geographical position from this point of view. But no work is being done on the creation of the drone base. At one time, the high-ranking officials of the ruling power boasted such ATSs, the degree of usefulness of which is very low in real conditions. How is it that Iran, being under sanctions and not having access to technologies, creates such ATSs that can change the situation? We have seen the coefficient of their usefulness in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
And a special underground base was created to shelter Iranian drones. In the case of Armenia, there is a necessary amount of engineering thought, and advanced western technologies are also available, but there is no real movement in the field. The country is left to hope to buy some drones from India, while a very competitive product could have been produced over the years.
ARSEN SAHAKYAN
